The Mummy Fanfic Chain
by Movie Fanfic Chains
Summary: Multiwriter. Takes place right after TMR. The whole gang is back, plus original characters! Villains with supernatural powers, a mysterious tunnel, past lives meeting their reincarnated selves, and will Jonathan and Ardeth finally find their matches?
1. Batch 1

**Disclaimer**: We do not own the characters from the movies. Characters not seen in the movies belong to the group as a whole or to one of the group members. Please ask permission before using them.

**Note**: This story was written years ago by people from all over the U.S. and Canada and many of us were young and/or beginners, so please be gentle with the reviews. ) We've included the author, their pen name (if applicable) and the date it was originally written. Please R&R! The more Reviews we get, the faster the next chapters will be posted!

**

* * *

**

**Shell (pen name Eviefan) December 16, 2001  
**It was the start of the Family vacation, and Alex woke up before the sun. Going on trips with the whole family was his favorite thing, and he wasn't about to waist any time. After allowing himself to wake up, which took all of three minutes, he got out of bed, and ran down the hall to his parent's room. The door was standing wide open so he ran in and launched himself on their bed landing mostly on his father who let out a groan.

"Evie I think we have a son who needs to be tickled," Rick said, then before Alex could get away, he was grabbed and tickled quite thoroughly before either of his parents let him go.

"Okay I won't do that anymore stop, stop," He laughed, as Evelyn gave him a Raspberry on his belly. Once they let him go Alex started out.

"You two hurry up because we need to get on the road," Alex said then turned and was gone. Once he was gone Evelyn squealed as her husband pulled her against his body.

"Do you have something in mind Mr. O'Connell?" Evelyn asked as she traced her finger against his lips.

**Heidi Rittner (pen name JasmineHR****) December 16, 2001  
**Rick lowered his face to hers and was about to show her just what he did have on his mind, but Evelyn recognized that look he gave her all too well.

"Hold it right there!" she said as she put pressure on the finger she still had to his lips. "Do you forget so easily that our bedroom door is wide open and Alex is bound to come running back in here at any second? I don't think that's the way I would like to go about having to explaining the birds and the bees to him."

She gave him one of her sly smiles that showed she knew she started the whole thing. Rick looked a little shocked that this once quiet and shy librarian was getting the best of him.

"You little temptress!" He said as he started to tickle her, just as they'd ticked Alex. "You just wait until you least expect it and I'll put you in your place!"

Just then, Alex came back to see if they were ready yet. They were still in bed acting like children! Alex rolled his eyes at the sight of his dad tickling his mom until she was laughing so hard that she had tears springing to her eyes and was begging him to stop.

"When are they ever going to grow up?" Alex thought to himself as he once again ran and launched himself on to the bed.

**Rachel Small (pen name Evie of the Nile****) December 17, 2001  
**Two hours later, and with a new founded bump on his head, Rick had everyone and everything packed up in the car.

"Should we leave Jonathan a list of everything we expect him to do?" Rick asked as he sat in the driver's seat.

"Now come on! He's an adult, he knows how to take care of the house. Besides, how much trouble do you think he could get into?" She knew she shouldn't have asked that question as soon as she finished.

Rick just gave her a sidelong glance and started the car.

They were into the trip for about an hour when Alex started up. He had been sitting, dozing off every now and again, but now he was getting anxious.

"Mum?"

"Yes?"

"Are we there yet?"

Rick answered, "No!"

"Dad."

"Yes?"

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to mom." Alex told him in the most sincere voice.

"Alex" Rick said.

"Yes dad?"

"Be quiet."

"But I'm bored!" Alex whined.

"Draw on the foggy windows!" Rick told him.

"NO!" Yelled Evie. "I just cleaned those! Don't muck them up with your dirty hands."

"What should I do then?" Alex asked in frustration.

"Here," Evie said, she reached into her purse and pulled out a block and handed it back to Alex. Who, in returned, promptly became silent.

"What was that?" Rick asked.

"Bubble Gum." Evie replied.

"Bubble gum?" Rick asked again.

"Lots of bubble gum. He'll be quiet while chewing it, and when we arrive. His mouth will be too tired to talk." She explained with a self-satisfied smile.

"Did I mention that you are the smartest woman in the world?" Rick asked.

"Hmmm, no I do not believe you did?" Evie responded as she leaned into Rick, he put his arm over her shoulders and she just sat there for the rest of the trip.

**Jean - December 17, 2001  
**"Well here we are." Rick smiled as he pulled up to the lodge, finding that he was talking to himself. Evie asleep against his shoulder, and Alex out in the backseat. Getting out of the car and stretching, he decided to wake Alex rather than his wife.

"Alex." Rick whispered as he poking his son in the ribs.

"No mum, I don't want to go to school today." he mumbled, rolling away from his father.

"Alex, we're here." with that he was wide awake asking a million questions. "No Alex, I think we have a bathroom in the lodge, we don't have to go in the woods. No, I don't think a bear will eat you while we're roasting marshmallows." he mumbled in response, lifting Evie from the car while Alex grabbed their suitcases.

The lodge was empty, being the fact the O'Connell's were the only ones to be staying here, and Rick took a deep breath as he lay Evelyn onto the mattress.


	2. Batch 2

Thanks so much for the review, zeusfluff, a.k.a. Melissa! :)

* * *

**Kate - December 18, 2001  
**Rick stood up and looked around the lodge. It's so peaceful, he thought. Just then he realized why it was so peaceful. Alex hadn't come in with their suitcases yet. He went outside to check on his son, but Alex was no where to be found.

"Alex?!" Rick cried as he hurried into the woods to find him.

He called his name over and over as he ran deeper into the woods. He soon came upon a clearing, where, in the middle of it, was his son, Alex. He was hunched over, as if examining something on the ground.

"Alex!" Rick hurried toward him.

Alex straightened up hurriedly, his hands behind his back.

"What are you doing? Where have you been?? I've been so worried!!!"

"Don't worry Dad, I was just having a look around," Alex replied.

"Yeah, well that's enough looking for one night," said Rick, and he ushered Alex into the lodge. He didn't see what Alex had clutched tightly in his hand, and Alex didn't show him. He ran upstairs to examine it instead.

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) December 18, 2001  
**The next morning Evelyn awoke to the sound of a telephone ringing in her ear. Lifting her head off of Rick's chest, she peered around with half open eyes. She hadn't remembered there being any phone in the room, although she'd only opened her eyes for about five minutes, being tired from the trip the night before.

Before she could find the phone, Alex made a flying leap into the room, slid across the floor and with a loud "I'LL GET IT!" answered the phone.

"Hello, O'Connell vacation!" He said, and Evelyn was astonished at how alive he could be at six in the morning.

When her son's eyes widened, Evelyn frowned and hissed, "Who is it?"

"You're joking..." Alex said, with huge eyes into the phone, "Yes, mum's here...when did this-"

And with that Evelyn grabbed away the phone. She held it up to her ear. "Hallo?"

"Evie? It's Jonathan!" The voice on the phone said, also cheery for six in the morning.

"Jonathan, how did you get this number?" Evelyn snapped.

"Sorry to call you so early old mum," Jonathan told her, avoiding her previous question, "But I have wonderful news!"

Evelyn sighed, "Alright Jonathan, what did you do now?"

"I'm getting married!" Jonathan exclaimed into the phone.

"What?!" Evelyn almost yelled, "Married!? To who, Jonathan! When did this happen?! Why wasn't I told? Who is she?! Not the club dancer girl, Jonathan.... if you marry her I swear Alex will never-"

"It's not the club dancer girl, her name was Cupcake by the way-but it's not her anyway." Jonathan said.

By this time, Rick had opened his eyes and was sitting up on one arm in the bed. "What happened?"

Evelyn waved him off, "Jonathan, I want to know exactly what happened, how drunk you were and who you were with do you understand?"

**Tara - December 18, 2001  
**On the other end of the line Jonathan held the phone out at an arms length as Evie showered him with questions. He laughed slightly and brought the phone back to his ear, already have predicted how she would react.

"Calm down sis, I was fully aware of what I was doing." He said truthfully. Evelyn did anything but remain calm, she wanted to know what happened.

"Jonathan just tell me what happened!" She said urging him on.

"Well I met her when I was at the market picking up something for myself actually, funny story really." Said Jonathan trailing off.

Both Rick and Alex noticed that Evie was practically bobbing up and down waiting for the news, and wanted in on the conversation too.

"And you'll never guess who it is!" He said playing with her, he knew it was the last person she would ever think.

"Just tell me!" She said loudly, not angry with him but just out of frustration.

"I'll give you a hint ... you've known her since you were four."

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) December 19, 2001  
**While Evie thought of who it could be that she had known since she had been four, Alex and Rick were sitting, one on each side of her, trying to get information. Finally frustrated by the two of them, she put her hand over the phone.

"You two go start breakfast, when I know more you will also know more, now off with you," she said. Alex grumbled something, as did Rick, but both of them left her alone, knowing she wouldn't say anything until she was ready. Once they were out of the room, her eyes got very, very big.

"You don't mean to tell me you're going to marry Bonnie Ashe?" Evelyn asked, suddenly realizing that she and Bonnie were the only one's who had kept in touch over the years, and the two of them had been very good friends until Boarding School, and the whole Bert Jennings episode. Hearing him confirm her guess made her stomach turn.

"Oh Jonathan you could do so much better than Bonnie," she said, not really able to fathom him with such a woman.

"Evie it's been almost 15 years since that time, and trust me she has changed. She has been through a lot, and well there is more than just her coming in to this marriage," Jonathan said. Now Evelyn was more awake than ever. Was he really saying what she thought he was?

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) December 20, 2001  
**"Jonathan, if what you're implying is what I think you're implying…" Lectured Evie as her voice was growing louder and her talking growing more and more rapid by the second.

"Evie, calm down," Jonathan interrupted. "Really, sis, I'm a grown man, not a twit."

"Well, looking at your past, you're living proof that a grown man can also be a twit!" stated Evie in a half-serious, half joking tone. "Explain everything!"

"Listen old mum, this is a matter that Bonnie and I feel shouldn't be discussed over the phone, but face to face. That's why Bonnie decided…I.. I mean we've decided that we will be driving down to join you all for the rest of your holiday."

Evie was stunned into silence with her eyes wide and jaw to the floor. "Jonathan! Don't you even think of bringing her here! She'll ruin our holiday!" Evie quickly shut her mouth realizing too late that she was exposing her feelings of fear and anger at what havoc Bonnie could cause.

"Well I'll be!" Said Jonathan with a bit of a surprise. "I do believe you're afraid she'll try and steal Rick away from you, just as she snatched away Bert Jennings' affections!"

"I beg your pardon?!"

"Really, old mum. You needn't worry. Rick is your husband, not just a boyfriend as Bert was, and she's engaged to me, remember?"

"Yes, well, that won't make a difference to her, but if you say that she's changed, then I'll have to take your word for it. It's time I let go of this grudge anyway."

"Thank you sis. I knew you'd be understanding! We should be there by tomorrow evening."

They said their good-byes and ended the call. Evie sat on the edge of the bed staring off at nothing in particular, with an uneasy feeling that Bonnie hadn't changed but had instead perfected her act and was using her brother for something, but what?

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) December 21, 2001  
**Down in the kitchen, Rick had started to get some toast ready. When he turned his back for a moment Alex took a piece of bread and ran upstairs.

He went into his room and shut and locked the door.

"Where are you?" Alex asked softly as he checked the perimeter of the room for his little friend.

After a few rounds of looking under his bed and on his desk and windowsill he finally found who he was looking for.

"Ah, there you are! I was worried about you. Here, I brought you some-" Just then, his little friend flew for it.

When the sparrow got to the door it landed on the ground, and scurried under the door into the hallway.

After thinking things through, Evie finally got up off of her bed. She knew that Rick and Alex would want to know what was going on. So she headed straight for the stairs to go down to the kitchen where they were supposed to be to tell them.

She turned down the hallway and around the corner to where the staircase was. When she got around the corner she paused for a moment. Then continued, only to be intercepted by a pair of frantic flapping wings.

**Jean - December 22, 2001  
**"Rick!" she cried, hoping to get someone's attention. After the bird flew off, Evie grumbled into Alex room, who was still trying to find the bird.

"Alex, did you bring an animal into the house again?"

"No." he hid his hand behind his back, hoping not to show the food for his new found "pet".

"Alex, help me find it please." she mumbled, taking him by the back of the shirt and out of the room into the hallway where Rick was walking up the steps.

"What happened?" he asked, looking for any walking dead things after hearing her scream.

Alex sighed, stepping up to look at his father. "I brought a bird into the house, I thought that it was injured because it let me hold it, but I guess it wasn't. Now it's loose in the house." he looked at the ground in front of him, hoping his dad wouldn't be too mad.

**Tara - December 30, 2001  
**Rick looked at Alex feeling bad for him. He sighed, not wanting to punish Alex for breaking a well-known rule. "It's alright." He said lifting up Alex's chin to look at him. "Just don't do it again got it?" He said seriously, then brought out a smile.

"Sure thing Dad." Said Alex, relieved that he wasn't going to be punished.

Evie saw how Rick handled things and loosened her grip on Alex. "Well let's go find the little thing before it makes a mess of things." But it was too late, they all heard the sound of glass breaking not far from where they were. "Oh now what?" She said following where the crash had come from.

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) December 30, 2001  
**In the small Parlor, Alex's new friend had been perched comfortable on the couch minding its own business when Cleo, the family's cat had taken notice. Stealthily she had moved up to the couch, her tail wagging, and just as she was about to jump the bird took to flight. Cleo chased after it jumping up on one of the bookcases, knocking off several of the books, and a vase that had belonged to Evelyn's mother.

"Cleo no," Alex yelled running over to her. Not wanting to be caught, she ran from him and hid under the couch. The bird, in the mean time, had flown into the dining room and was perched on top of the Chandelier.

"Evie get my gun," Rick said in a light tone. For that comment both Alex and Evelyn glared at him.

"What I was just kidding," he defended.

In his car, Jonathan and Bonnie were having a nice chat, though she was bent on talking about the time she had stolen Evelyn's date for the dance in high school, and was trying to defend herself.

"Honestly Jonathan I love you, but I'm so worried that Evelyn won't accept me because of James," she said resting her head against his shoulder.

"Don't you worry my little buttercup. My sister probably has forgotten all about that time," Jonathan said, though he knew she had not and had no idea how this trip was going to turn out.

**Heidi Rittner (pen name JasmineHR) December 30, 2001  
**Jonathan sat there pondering what Bonnie had been chattering away about. He could barely recall that bit of drama between Evie, Bonnie, and James.

"I know that Evie had gotten over that James fellow right off; barely spoke of it, actually. After all, she had only just met him." Jonathan looked over at Bonnie, who had her eyebrows drawn together and he could tell she wasn't sure what else Evie could be upset at her about.

"However, my buttercup, I don't think she's ever gotten over what happened after high school with that Bert Jennings fellow."

"Ah, yes!" Bonnie said with a wide mischievous grin and evil look that flickered over her face. Bonnie smiled sweetly and mentally reprimanded herself for almost blowing her cover.

"Yes, I remember what happened." Bonnie said in a more serious and somewhat sad tone. "The whole thing was Bert's doing. He came to me and said that he'd only been dating Evie to get to meet me and that he'd already told Evie how he felt and he said she was fine with us dating."

"But Bert had been courting Evie for almost a year and they were engaged to be married…" Jonathan got distracted from his thoughts as Bonnie leaned over and started kissing his neck.

"Let's not talk about the past, my dear." Bonnie said in a husky voice. She was glad that Jonathan was a bit of a simpleton and very gullible. It was going to make her scheme a lot easier. "So, tell me about Evie's family, especially this legionnaire husband of hers and how they met and came to their good fortune."

Jonathan started from the beginning, telling everything from the time he stole the key from Rick's pocket at the bar, to the phone conversation he had with Evie the day before.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) December 30, 2001  
**Alex was cuddling with his new founded friend and Rick was having a nap. Therefore Evie was the only one who greeted Jonathan and Bonnie when they pulled up to the cottage.

"Evie! Baby sister! Hello! How are you?" Jonathan asked in a cheery voice as he gave Evelyn a choking hug. "And you know Bonnie, of course, and Bonnie knows Evie!" He said when he pulled away.

"Hello Bonnie, it's been a while." Evie said politely as she extended her hand.

"Yes, too long." Bonnie said as she shook it.

"Well, why don't we go in for a drink or something?" Jonathan asked as he wrapped his arm around Bonnie's shoulders and guided her to the door.

"Where's Rick?" Bonnie asked, she caught Evie by surprise.

"Why? Why do you want to know?" She snapped, she covered her mouth with her hands and gasped. "I mean, he's in the bedroom." She muffled out.

"Do you mind if I go get him?" Bonnie asked.

"No go ahead!" Jonathan said. Before Evie could stop her, Bonnie was gone.

"So? What do you think?" Jonathan asked.

Evie didn't answer, she just walked away.

"Alex!" She called out, "Your Uncle Jon's here!"

Alex came running in.

"Uncle Jon! Look what I have!" He held out the bird that was wrapped up in a towel to keep it from flying away.

Bonnie found the door a crack open. She slipped inside and shut the door then tip toed to the bed.


	3. Batch 3

Marlee: Yes ma'am! :) Here's the next batch for you and thanks so much for your review!!

* * *

**Jean - January 2, 2002  
**Rick opened his eyes to a sudden annoying poke in his ribs, and figured Cleo was either on his back kneading or it was his son.

"Alex please, it's been a long day, I need some peace and quiET!" he cried, in a masculine sort of way of course, leaping up from the bed as he found an unfamiliar face staring back at him. He stood, gasping at the young woman in his bedroom as he realized he wasn't wearing anything but boxers. "What the hell are you doing here? Who are you? More importantly what have you done with my wife?" he questioned loudly, hoping that Evelyn would come to his rescue.

"Umm...I'm Bonnie, Jonathan's.... Fiancée, he sent me to wake you so you can come out and talk with us all." she smiled, sticking out her hand, but not averting her eyes.

"Nice to meet you, but I think you should wait outside for a moment." he growled, almost pushing her out of the doorway. "Evelyn, come here for a sec." he called, before closing the door, and reached for his shirt and trousers.

**Tara - January 5, 2002  
**As soon as Bonnie left the room Rick quickly got dressed and waited for Evelyn. She hadn't come yet and Rick yelled out again, thinking she hadn't heard. "Honey." Yelled Rick rather impatiently as he sat back down on the bed.

Back outside, Evie was helping Jonathan with the bags and heard Rick's call. She had her hands full and hurried to get them in the house, but not fast enough because Rick yelled for her a second time. "Coming." She said placing one of the heavy bags on the floor. "Dear lord what did they bring?" Evie commented at the weight before heading off to see what was wrong with Rick.

After being ushered out of the room, Bonnie stood in front of the door and stared at it. "Well." She said quietly to herself, mad that she wasn't very welcomed. Turning around Bonnie started to walk back, head down.

Evie rushed down the hall to her and Rick's room, not really looking where she was going. More interested in looking at her fingernails while walking then what was ahead of her, Evie ran straight into Bonnie, head first.

**Zanna - January 7, 2002  
**"Why don't you watch where you are going? I know you don't want me here, but it's no reason to be rude," Bonnie yelled at her.

"Sorry Bonnie I didn't see you there, I chipped one of my nails on your bags and wasn't watching where I was going," Evie told her.

"I don't think so, I think you did it on purpose. You still haven't forgiven me for stealing Bert from you."

"Actually, it's probably the best thing you ever did for me, because I wouldn't have ever met Rick. Speaking of Rick, I better go see what he wants," Evie told her with a grin as she went into her bedroom.

Bonnie watched her go into her room shocked that she hadn't gotten under Evie's skin, like she was trying to do.

**Heidi Rittner (pen name JasmineHR) January 13, 2002  
**Bonnie went on in search of Alex's room, knowing that according to plan, Suetekh would be there. She followed the sound of a bird, recalling that Alex said he had brought one into the house. She found the room, quietly slipped in, and shut the door behind her.

"This must be Alex's room," she thought to herself. Just then, another squawk brought her attention to a cage by the window. She walked over and studied the bird's feet, finding the small, hardly noticeable bracelet that would identify Suetekh.

"Oh, Suetekh, my love!" Bonnie said as she unlatched the cage and took the bird out. "Tell me everything that's happened."

As soon as she placed the bird on the ground, it morphed into a dark powerful looking man with eyes the color of steel and an ancient bracelet he had stolen on his left wrist that allowed him to morph into any animal he chose. The bracelet had the ability to change size according to what animal the wearer turned into.

"It was that damned O'Connell," Suetekh grumbled. "I got the child to take me in, but he told the child to keep me caged and because of that I haven't been able to do any searching. Every lifetime he has overpowered me, but it won't happen again. I did once get an opportunity, but unfortunately, they have a cat. It's bad enough that cats sense evil and it did not help much that I'd chosen to morph into a little helpless bird. I'm glad you were able to get here so quickly, Nephthys. I've missed you." He said using her name from a past life. He pulled her over for a kiss.

"And I have missed you as well, Seth, my love," she confessed using the name given to him in this life. "I have already met Rick and you have one advantage over him. He remembers nothing of his past life as Osiris, or of any other lives, but we must be careful. He did seem to look at me as if in the back of his mind he'd known me, but one look at you, and I'm sure he'll remember everything from his past lives, especially the fact that he hates you."

**Jean - January 18, 2002  
**Meanwhile...

"What is it Rick? I'm trying to get Jonathan and his fiancée settled in." Evie sighed walking into the bedroom.

"She's crazy! She walked right on in here to wake me up! I don't understand what she's pulling, but I don't like it already." Rick snarled, yanking his pants on and accidentally putting both legs into one.

**Kate - January 20, 2002  
**"Honey, honey, just calm down," Evie said as Rick struggled with his pants. "I don't like her either, but annoying as she is, she is my brother's fiancée, and we've got to try to see what he sees in her, no matter how hard it may be."

"Ok, ok, but I don't like her traipsing around here like she owns the place," said Rick.

Meanwhile, in Alex's room, the two conspirators made their plans. "We must swear that we will not make the same mistakes that Imhotep made," Seth said gravely.

"Osiris will not escape us this time." Nephthys (or Bonnie) smiled. "Don't worry. I already have a plan. You see, the O'Connell's have a weak spot, and we are standing in this weak spot's room right now."

**Zanna - January 23, 2002  
**Evie giggled at Rick telling him, "I don't think that's going to work, putting both your legs into one pant leg."

Rick looked at her with amusement and told her, "no I don't think it will either."

He pulled his leg out and put his pants on right, zipping and buttoning. He told Evie with a frown, "I don't trust her. She took two of your boyfriends from you already and from her appearance in here a few minutes ago, it would seem she is trying to do it again and is just using Jonathan as a way to get to you and me."

"We don't have proof yet, we will just have to wait and see what she does next. Jonathan won't listen to either of us. He truly loves her," Evie told him sadly, "and I would hate to break his heart."

"I know Evie, but if it's true then there is nothing either of us can do from stopping him from getting heartbroken."

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) January 23, 2002  
**Despite knowing that her husband was right, it was still difficult to stand there while Bonnie messed up her brother's life. Rick who had always been able to read her emotions pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss, one that ignited the passion that was always there. Before he took her to their bed, he closed the door and locked it, then it was just them, two bodies meant for one another.

After the long drive, Jonathan had gone to sleep, and being bored, Alex decided to go check on his bird. As he walked up the stairs he whistled a tune, as happy as could be. Then he opened the door and what he saw made him scream, only when he tried he could not. Bonnie grabbed him and quickly tied him up, and all the while Alex thought of what had happened in Ahm-Shere and wondered when it would stop.

"Now child, you will help us," Seth said, talking to Alex in his mind. In Seth's mind he heard laughter.

"I will not. My father will save me," Alex told him. Now it was Alex who heard laughter, evil laughter.

"Foolish mortal boy do you not know that I am a god. If you don't help us get what we want, then I will kill both of your parents, only this time you won't have the book to bring them back." Tears streamed down his face, and Alex felt like if he tried hard enough he could wake up from this dream. When Bonnie tried to wipe his tears, Alex pushed her hands away, then in one wisp of wind they were gone traveling back to Egypt, back to Seth's Temple, to plan.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) January 23, 2002  
**It was now well into the evening. Rick and Evie had fallen asleep in their bedroom. Evie began to stir when she heard some mumbling and felt the bed jerk every so often. She glanced at her husband with half opened eyes. He seemed to be having a bad dream of some sort. Evie lifted herself onto an elbow and began to shake Rick.

"Rick. Rick, wake up," she whispered so as not to wake anyone. Rick started talking louder and moving around more. "Rick!" Evie said in a loud whisper, then began to shake him harder.

"ALEX!" Rick yelled as he shot up to a sitting position in bed. They were both temporarily distracted by the sound of something breaking downstairs.

"Rick! You nearly made my heart stop! It's alright, you were just having a bad dream," Evie said as she tried to calm both his and her own nerves. "Tell me about it. It will ease your mind."

"It was too real to have been a dream. I think I had one of your so-called visions. Alex, I have to check on Alex," Rick said as he jumped out of bed. He unlocked and swung open the bedroom door and nearly ran Jonathan over on his way to Alex's bedroom.

Jonathan looked at his sister with wide eyes. "What's gotten into him? I was just getting myself a cup of coffee and was going to search for Bonnie. He scared the hell out of me and I dropped my mug."

Evie got a bad feeling. "Jonathan, something's wrong. We have to look for Alex."

They wasted no time. They ran over to Alex's room and Rick was opening all the doors down the hallway yelling Alex's name and finding nothing but empty rooms. Jonathan and Evie searched downstairs. They all met up again in the entry way with no luck.

"Maybe he's gone outside to let the bird go. I noticed the cage empty," Evie said with hope in her voice.

It only took Rick two long strides to reach the door. He threw it open and once again nearly plowed someone over. As soon as he saw him, he knew there was trouble again.

The new arriver saw the look in O'Connell's eyes. "My friend, I fear I have come too late to warn you," Ardeth said as Rick yanked him into the house.

"Damn it!" Rick cursed. "Every time you show up it means there's big trouble coming our way! What is it this time?"

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) January 24, 2002  
**"Get on your knees!" Nephthys snapped at Alex as they stood out beside the raging Nile. It was a gusty galling day in Luxor, Alex, Seth, and Nephthys were on the opposite bank in the Valley on the edge of a wadi.

Alex did what he was told, and crouched down onto his knees, almost loosing his balance to a sudden gust of wind that whipped past them. There was a crevice in front of him, and this is where Nephthys motioned him to go.

Alex tried to get as flat as was possible and he crawled into the one and a half-foot tall hole. He kept his arms and legs as close as possible to himself without using up too much precious breathing space above him. The tunnel just went on forever, about forty feet in it was completely dark, he didn't know whether his eyes were open or closed anymore.

He wanted to open them just to make sure that he didn't miss any possible escape route. But he also didn't want to see what was making the deep growling noises ahead of him.

It was almost enough to drive anyone mad, all Alex saw ahead of him were the swirling white patterns that you see when you squint your eyes really, really hard. They didn't make any sense, which until this point he wasn't trying to make sense of.

He knew that the other two were following him, and as sick as it sounded that comforted him. Maybe it was just the absent-minded thought that if they came in with him, what was on the other side of this damned tunnel couldn't be life threatening.

About one hundred and twenty feet through the dark abyss Alex started to feel a deep descent, at that point he was able to bring his legs forward and squat, then descend the slope on his feet, with his knees bent.

At first it looked like a candle flicker. Alex thought it was just his eyes again. But then it got bigger, until the light was almost blinding.

**Jean - January 24, 2002  
**"Rick." Evie scolded, and looked up at the Med-jai. While not tolerating Rick's treatment of the warrior she wasn't too happy to see him either. "Ardeth, explain to us what's happened? We can't find our Alex, and I have a feeling that you may know where he is."

"Evelyn, I believe that he's been found out by the evil one."

"Imhotep?"

"No, Seth and his love Nephthys. Seth has the ability to change into different creatures, did Alex bring in an animal with him?" Ardeth questioned, looking both from Evie to Rick.

"Yea, he brought in a bird. You know...this is strange. That bird showed up when we got here, but I don't really think it was a species that is usually around these parts." Rick mumbled, talking more to himself than anyone else. "That and Jonathan bringing in that woman, I'll bet she has something to do with it as well. Jonathan said that he couldn't find her tonight."

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) January 26, 2002  
**At that precise moment, Jonathan wandered into the front room, "Okay what's going on here? I can't find Bonnie anywhere and Alex seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth as well..."

Evelyn sighed, "You may be more correct than you think Jonathan."

That was when Jonathan noticed Ardeth Bey, he smiled and gave the warrior a good slap on the shoulder, "Why hallo old chap, what are you doing here?"

Rick groaned and gave his brother-in-law a glare, "What do you think he's doing here Jonathan? Trimming the hedges?!"

"Well excuse me! What's got you in such a horrible mood?" Jonathan replied, taking a step back.

**Evie - January 28, 2002  
**"Why the hell do you think I'm in such a bad mood?!" Rick exclaimed, "Alex is missing and when Ardeth Bey here shows up it usually doesn't mean anything too good."

"I knew Bonnie was up to no good when she came here!" Evelyn said trying to hold back tears.

"Would somebody please bloody tell me what is going on here?" Asked Jonathan looking annoyed as he settled into a chair.

"I believe Seth and Nephthys have taken your son to Egypt." Ardeth Bey explained, "They want him to find something for them, what, I am not sure about, but I do know that if he fails to get what they want that Seth will kill Alex and both of you." He said gesturing towards Evie and Rick.

Evelyn immediately broke down into sobs, and before Rick could comfort her she ran off crying to the bedroom.

"Now wait one bloody second there!" Jonathan exclaimed angrily standing up "What would Bonnie want with Alex?"

Before Rick or Ardeth Bey could answer him they all heard a scream coming from the bedroom that sounded like Evie...

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) January 28, 2002  
**Her scream made Rick's blood run cold, and without a single word to Jonathan or Ardeth, he took the steps two at a time. When he reached their room, Evelyn was just standing there, shaking like a leaf, starring at nothing, but seeing something in a vision which he was blind too.

"Alex don't," she said, trapped in a waking dream. She watched in terror, as Alex tried to escape a place, ancient and forgotten, a time where heroes were made and innocent children were killed. Before she could see anymore, the vision was gone. Rick's arms greeted, her and she let him hold her up.

"He's, he was trying to get out of a cage, and there were Lions waiting for him," Evie said looking up at her husband. Rick kissed her forehead.

"We saved him before, and we will do it as soon as we can get our things ready," Rick said. She nodded, still weak from such a disturbing vision. Gently Rick picked her up and placed her on their bed.

"Try to rest, we need your knowledge to find him," he said. She nodded and closed her eyes, and when Rick turned Jonathan and Ardeth were waiting.

"We leave tonight," Rick said, and without word Jonathan went to pack what things he needed, forgetting for the moment about Bonnie.


	4. Batch 4

Thanks so much for the reviews, maclll, lilylynn, and zeusfluff!! Here's the next batch!

**

* * *

**

**Heidi Rittner (pen name JasmineHR) January 28, 2002  
**As soon as Alex took another step, the blinding light disappeared. He rubbed his stinging eyes to adjust to the near darkness and looked behind him to see what had caused the blinding light. To his amazement, he only saw a wall with hieroglyphs.

"That's odd," Alex thought to himself, as he started looking over the ancient symbols. He nearly had a heart attack as Seth and Bonnie came walking at a fast pace through the wall. Seth grabbed Alex by the arm to ensure that Alex wouldn't try anything. They walked a few more steps and stopped.

Alex found himself looking out the mouth of a cave at a land in the warm soft glow of the last few minutes of sunset. He recognized this place. It was Egypt, Seti's palace to be exact. He'd been to Egypt many times on explorations with his parents, only this wasn't the Egypt that he'd been to. This was different. There weren't any ruins and the place wasn't deserted. Everything looked as if it hadn't been standing too long and as if it were in constant care. Also, what looked to be guards at watch could be seen everywhere.

"That was very close," Seth said. "The portal closes as soon as the sun sets, which means we made it by a few minutes."

Seth continued to explain to Bonnie exactly how the portal worked and how he had come about finding it, not caring that Alex was listening very avidly.

"We must be very cautious. We can't let the guards see us," Seth said in a serious tone.

Bonnie grabbed Alex's other arm to get his attention. "No noise out of you either, boy. Don't think that they won't kill you also if we are discovered sneaking around 'his majesty's' land." Bonnie snickered at her reference towards Pharaoh Seti.

Alex nodded in compliance to their wishes. In a low voice he said, "I know where we are, but WHEN are we?"

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) January 29, 2002  
**Bonnie or Nephthys started to laugh. "Oh child, you really do just cut to the chase. As your father would say." She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, to look him over. She didn't get a real good look at him when they first 'met' in London.

"Don't you think he looks a little obvious?" Seth leaned over and half whispered to Nephthys.

"Yes, I'll get him some clothes," She walked over to a building that wasn't thirty feet away, went inside and after about two minutes, came back out with clothes in her arms.

"Put these on," She snapped as she threw the material into Alex's face.

He looked at the attire. It was basically just a 'skirt' that you wrapped around your waist. It was white and practically see through, so he hoped to God that it wouldn't be if it were wrapped around more then once.

He took it behind a tree. He was hidden from any passerby's but Seth and Nephthys came around to watch.

"Think of me as your mother, for the time being" she said when she met his hate-filled glare.

"You?" He said in disgust. "You could never be my mother, my mother's kind and caring, you're just a witch!" He yelled at her.

"Yes, that may be. But you see those people." She pointed to some children and men out in a courtyard. "To them, I'm your mother." She pulled a blade out of a fold in her robe, "Got that?"

**Jean - January 29, 2002  
**Alex gulped, looking at the golden blade and back up to the two menacing faces. "Gotcha." he mumbled, and took her hand in his. "Mum." he growled, squeezing hard with a sly grin, much like his father's.

* * *

Heading off to the port, Ardeth and Evelyn were explaining the story of Seth and Nephthys to Rick and Jonathan, making sure to include the part of Osiris' death, and how he and Horus fit into the circle. Reaching the port, they left the car and booked passage to Egypt.

* * *

As Alex and the other two were walking, he stopped short, visions of people flitting through his mind. Horus stood over his defeated opponent, staring down at Seth with hate-filled eyes. Growling, he murmured in Egyptian an incantation. "I Horus the strong shall rid the earth of you. You shall meet your brother, and my father in the underworld. I pray he seeks mercy and not revenge for your murder." With that, the vision was gone, and Alex was shocked by the face he saw on the body of Horus. It was that of his own.

**Kate - January 30, 2002  
**'Whoa', thought Alex. 'Am I really some kind of Egyptian? And do I really attack this guy? Wow, I was really cool in my previous life!'

"Keep moving boy!" Nephthys whispered harshly.

"Yes, we don't want to be late," added Seth ominously.

"Late for what?" Alex demanded. Nephthys and Seth just exchanged knowing glances and smiles. "Wow," thought Alex, "If mum and dad don't get here soon, I'm really gonna die this time!"

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) January 30, 2002  
**It was then when she came. A young and beautiful Egyptian girl. Her long black hair was tied in loose braids and her clothes looked worn and tattered. She had big beautiful brown eyes, and although she wore not a touch of make up, her skin was like that of a goddess, which is what Alex swore she was as she looked at him.

The only thing distinguishing her from a real goddess were the smudges of dirt and sand that kissed her cheeks, and the small scar on her right arm, above a band that bore several dirty hieroglyphics.

She came from a building just in front of them, storming out like she was being followed. Something struck Alex when he saw the look in her eyes. It was the look of fear he would have seen in his own, but with a burning light of defiance lingering there. Suddenly Alex couldn't help but flashback to one time...late at night, when he was staying at Uncle Jon's...

He remembered Jonathan waking up with a start, throwing off his blankets and jumping out of bed. Once Alex had calmed his uncle down though, Jonathan told him of the dream he had...the dream of a girl more beautiful than any that walked the earth.

Alex didn't know why, but something about the girl made him think about that. Snapping back into reality Alex watched, as the girl approached them.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) February 3, 2002  
**Due to their last minute traveling needs and it being the best time to vacation, all ships going to Egypt were booked. As much as Rick didn't like the idea of it, they had to use his ship, or sit around waiting for a vacancy. The group reached their destination and began to pile their luggage and supplies on to Rick's ship. It wasn't so big of a ship that it would require a whole crew, but was quite roomy and could be handled by just a few people. Rick had purchased it shortly after their return from Ahm Shere for the main purpose of taking his family on vacations and, when his wife talked him into it, the occasional adventure. It had three simple bedrooms, one of which was bigger and belonged to the captain of the ship and his wife.

After Rick finished checking to make sure everything was in working order, he set out looking for Evie. It did not take him long to find her since he figured where she's be. Her back was towards him as he walked across the deck. She had her arms crossed and was staring out at the softly rolling sea. He came up behind her and put his arms around her. She leaned against him and placed her head under his chin, welcoming his comfort and warmth.

"I'm scared Rick. I don't even know where to begin looking for him," Evie said in a quiet voice.

"Egypt." Rick simply stated.

"How do you know?" Evie learned forward and turned her face towards him with a questioning look.

Rick's eyebrows drew together as he mumbled, "By that dream or vision or whatever you want to call it that I had." It annoyed him that he was starting to have those, even though there had only been the one so far. "I recognized the land that Alex had been taken to, but for some reason, the face of the bastard that took him was a blur. I feel as if I know him, but also, as if I've never met him in my life."

Evie turned back around and once again, leaned against him with her head under his chin. She thought about what he'd said and remembered the visions that she'd had in the past. "Maybe you'll get more visions when we get closer to Egypt and closer to Alex."

He did not want to talk about that, let alone think about it. "We'd better get going. The longer we take, the more distance that we put between ourselves and Alex." He kissed the top of her head and headed towards the wheel while shouting orders out to Jonathan and Ardeth.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) February 3, 2002  
**Evelyn was relieved when she saw Rick Jonathan and Ardeth head down to storage on the lower deck. She really needed some time alone, if not to collect her thoughts, she just needed to let her emotions take over, they had been bottled up for so long now. She wanted to be strong, but apparently she couldn't.

She slowly sank to the wooden floor, clinging to the rails as she did. As she looked down upon the water her tears started to fall, each one landing in the water, although the current was too strong each tear still made its own impression in the sea.

"Oh God." She mumbled to herself as she broke down. Ever so carefully Evelyn knelt onto her knees and leaned over the railing, resting her head on her hands as they gripped the bars, she was sobbing so hard that her whole body shook. She stayed like that for as it seemed, ever.

Her whole body was sore from shaking, her eyes from squinting, and her throat was choked up, when finally she ever so slowly got up.

'Where are you Alex?' She asked herself, 'Who did this to you?' Then the most horrific question, 'Are you still alive?' At the thought of her son's demise Evelyn broke down again, only this time harder. She collapsed back down onto the deck and practically wailed.

He heard it as soon as she fell upon the floor, the second time. Rick stopped what he was doing, to listen and make sure everything was all right, but then he heard her cry out. But this wasn't a cry in pain, or at least not physical pain. He knew what this cry was. Richard O'Connell dropped everything he was doing, and precipitately made his way to the deck above to be with his wife.

**Jean - February 3, 2002  
**Rick walked over to his wife and for once didn't really know what to do. Desperately he wanted to lift her up and hold her to quench his own fear, but he knew all she wanted was time away from everything, and everyone. And that time away included him. He made an open invitation, sitting next to her with his legs stretched out and his arms wide.

Gladly Evelyn went into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing into his ear.

"Don't worry honey, everything will end up just like last time, don't worry. I promise to you that nothing bad will happen to you or Alex." Little did he know what was in store for Rick O'Connell.

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) February 5, 2002  
**Back with Alex things were quite hectic. The girl had come right up to them and tackled Seth, causing Nephthys to scream as well as Seth, who screamed quite girlish for the godly god he was.

But amidst the screaming, the girl was punching Seth quite well wherever she could reach him, "YOU BASTARD!" She screamed.

After watching with huge eyes, Alex couldn't help but laugh as Nephthys pried the girl off of Seth, and Seth lie there on the ground like a big baby.

Nephthys glared at the girl, "Gabrielle. What a pleasant surprise," she said with sarcasm, "how's your friend?"

The girl, who's name was Gabrielle obviously, glared back with even more hatred than Nephthys, "Olympus is NOT well, thanks to your boyfriend here, who's about to get his ass kicked!"

Nephthys laughed evilly, "Oh too bad...I always sort of liked Olympus. He sure loved you.... I can understand why you were never too interested though...he's quite the scrawny fellow."

Gabrielle just looked at the goddess with obvious disbelief, "It's amazing...you look like a normal person, but actually... you're the angel of death."

**Evie - February 7, 2002  
**Meanwhile back on Rick's ship Evie had finally calmed down and stopped crying, but Rick held her just a little more just to make sure she was all right. Finally Rick went down below to see how drunk Jonathan was, and if he had passed out yet. Evie went back over to look down at the water as she tried her hardest not to cry. Jonathan (surprisingly!) hadn't gotten drunk yet, and went up to check on Evie.

"What's wrong baby sister?" Jonathan asked, he still didn't believe that his beloved Bonnie had anything to do with it.

Evie tried her hardest not to get mad at Jonathan, but she couldn't help it. "Why do you think I'm upset?! Besides the fact that that damn Bonnie of yours stole my son!"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?!?" Argued Jonathan, he was outraged that Evie, Rick, and Ardeth Bey still thought Bonnie had taken Alex. "I told you before! Bonnie would never take Alex! I don't even know why I am with you crazy people looking for that damn son of yours when I should be looking for Bonnie!!!"

As soon as he said it he regretted it. He hadn't meant to say that, but he was just so mad. He really did love Alex." Evie... I..I didn't mean..." Unfortunately it wasn't enough because before he could finish Evie punched him as hard as she could in the face, and walked away sobbing. Leaving Jonathan with a bloody nose.

All of a sudden Rick appeared up on deck looking like he wanted to shoot Jonathan " What the hell did you say to my wife?!"

Before Jonathan could answer everyone heard an explosion coming from the front of the ship...

**Marion (****pen name GiantPygmyGirl****) February 8, 2002  
**Somewhere, deep in the desert of Egypt something stirred. The golden sand shimmered, the air crisp with anxiety. A copper form emerged from a cloud of dust, clad only in the rays of the sun. Her eyes were dark and large, though glossy with content, shining out from her face. Her high-defined cheekbones which sloped into her full lips were accentuated by those eyes...

She had a nasty demeanor, but this was all hidden under her beauty. Her dark hair was in tight ringlets down her back and she wore only enough material as though not to be indecent. The makeup she wore was simple. Bits of gold flew from her eyes while dark lines outlined them. The effect drew anyone's attention to her face immediately, leaving no room for error in assuming she was heavenly. Her name was Nefret, and she had an important job to do.

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) February 9, 2002  
**The explosion had drawn everyone's attention, and Rick was the first to arrive at the front. When he opened the hatch leading down to the engine room a thick black smoke billowed up, and Rick began to swear.

"This is just great, just fucking great," he said not caring that the smoke was practically choking him. They hadn't even been out at sea for an hour yet, and he knew that there had been engine problems, and he thought it had been fixed but now he knew. Ardeth was the first one to offer help, though the engine of a ship was not something he knew about.

"My friend tell me what you need," he said. Rick ran his hand through his hair.

"An Axe," Rick said as he started down the steps. While the two of them started with the Engine, that left Jonathan and Evie alone.

"Evie, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." She didn't let him finish moving past him, going toward the back of the ship where she and Rick had their room. Once inside she shut the door and moved over to the bed taking off her shoes, then lay down closing her eyes.

"Alex think of me," she said praying she would have a vision so she would know where her son was.

* * *

Night had fallen over the Palace, and in his own room Alex sat dressed in ancient cloths. He was a brave boy, and he hated both Seth and Bonnie, and was hopeful that the girl he had bumped into today would be an ally. Right now all he wanted was his mum. Being here was terrifying, because Alex knew he could die easily here. He also knew that the likelihood of his parents every figuring out that there was a portal to ancient times was slim. Now he stood at the window looking out over the vast sands of the desert.

"Mum find me," he said as a tear streamed down his cheek.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) February 10, 2002  
**"Thank God!" Rick thought to himself as he closed the engine room door and turned towards the hopeful stares of Jonathan and Ardeth. It was a little after midnight and they were all exhausted.

Rick gave Jonathan a reassuring smack the back, leaving a blackened handprint. "Everything's fine gentleman. Thanks for your help. It was only a minor problem. One of the belts broke and had to be replaced. The biggest pain was getting the broken one out. It got wedged between two of the gears. Best we be off to bed. We've got a long day ahead of us."

Jonathan and Ardeth gave a nod, let out the breath they'd been holding, and headed off to their sleeping quarters. All Rick could think about the whole time was getting back to his wife to make sure she was okay. He quietly opened the door to their room and entered. His wife was asleep. The moonlight streamed in through their little window, lighting Evie's face. Rick thought she looked like an angel. He washed his hands, then sat down next to her. He ran the back of his hand along her cheek and could feel the tears that had been shed. He changed and lay down next to his wife, gathering her in his arms. Exhaustion took over and he was immediately in a deep sleep.

He stood in the middle of the desert, watching as a woman approached him. Her dark outlined eyes bore into him and her state of dress was not of this time. She had a stern expression on her copper face that showed she had a mission, but did not look too happy to be the one chosen for it. She stopped a few feet in front of him and began speaking in ancient Egyptian. The only thing he got was her name, Nefret, and knew that she was trying to unwillingly help him find something having to do with a tunnel and Alex.

The dream was interrupted by something poking his ribs. He opened his eyes and saw Evie's face above his. She had a none too happy expression on her face.

"Rick, you were talking in your sleep. Who in the bloody hell is Nefret?" Evie was looking daggers at him.

Rick smiled at his wife's show of jealously. "Just a woman in another damned 'vision'." He grumbled.

Evie's expression softened and she giggled at herself for her reaction, and also the annoyed expression on her husband's face. It was time for him to come to terms with and accept these visions. "Tell me about your vision."


	5. Batch 5

Thanks so much for the review, zeusfluff!! Here's the next batch, and remember everyone, the more reviews we receive, the faster I'll post up the next batches! Hehe, good ol' fashioned bribery. :)

**

* * *

**

**Marion (pen name GiantPygmyGirl) February 19, 2002  
**Rick clasped Evie's hands between his own, brushing a stray hair out of her face before doing so, and looked her in the eyes. Then, tightly squeezing his own shut he began to recall everything that had happened in the vision. The scents, the texture, the words, the information, and most importantly Nefret herself.When he began to speak he was surprised at the strength of his own words, for this was not a subject matter he liked too much. _Dreams? Visions?_ Rick O'Connell had none of these things!

"I was in Egypt Evie, ancient Egypt..." he paused, almost asking her not to believe him, "but, I do not know how I knew this at the time because I appeared to be in a steeply walled valley, with a flowing river at the bottom, no buildings, no people, just nature. Halfway up the canyon's walls was a large cave-like opening. For several moments I was just standing there, surveying the scenery, and it seemed as though I was waiting for something or someone to come. In this time I turned completely 360 degrees and all I could see was sand, water, and walls. But, when I turned back around a figure was standing just mere feet in front of me where no one had been before. It scared the hell out of me, and I think I about jumped out of my pants..."

Evie smiled devilishly at this, thinking, visualizing just how wonderful this would look. His darkly tanned muscular legs, maybe with a little scented oil on them... Rick, unknowing her thoughts continued with his story, while Evie mentally kicked herself for allowing her mind to stray when her husband obviously needed her support.

"She seemed very calm, but stern. She began speaking in Egyptian, and, at the time, in the dream, I could not understand what she was saying. But now, strangely enough I do. She introduced herself to me as Nefret, not asking my name, for she somehow already knew it. She seemed rushed and was pointing to that opening in the rocky walls, muttering something about a portal that could transport people back and forth through time."

"Rick!" Evie interrupted excitedly. "I have only read about those in books before. Never have I heard of them being real!"

"Listen Evie, listen to me... What she said next is important. She told me that Alex was behind there. That he was through that portal. And, she said that she would be seeking us out shortly to guide us there."

"Oh, Rick, what does this mean? Is it real? Is he really there? Has she seen him? Does she know if he's ok?"

"Look Evelyn, I don't know." Rick stated firmly, grasping her by her shoulders, forcing her to look him straight in the eyes. "But, what I do know is that this could all just be a hoax, a 'flimflam'. It's probably just a dream."

"But, that doesn't mean we can just dismiss it lightly! We have to have hope. Rick, if we give up hope we will fail." Her voice was wracked with sobs.

"I know honey. I am just telling you this so that you are not depressed if it isn't real."

"Oh Rick, I love you!" With this Evie wrapped her arms about his neck, and buried her face in his warm shoulder. "Hold me.."

Rick did not even hesitate before his arms firmly gathered his wife into them, his fingers gently rubbing her back. Whispering, "Shhh...Shhh...Evie, don't cry. I love you. Alex loves you. We will find him, I promise." Rick could not hold back his own tears, and he grasped her, holding her close to him, frantically kissing her head, tilting her head and kissing her tears away, letting their salty flavor linger, before his lips moved to hers claiming them in a passionate and heart-broken battle.

"What if we don't Rick? What if we are too late?"

"Evie, I don't think that's possible." With this, the embracing couple got back under the covers and fell asleep.

Far across the sands, Nefret's face turned crimson for she knew what the two lovers would do when they awoke in the morning. The engagement of passion to ease pain did not surprise her as something these two took lightly. She nodded to sleep herself, knowing that she had brought one man closer to his destiny.

**Shell (pen name Eviefan****) February 19, 2002  
**Morning came in the ancient palace, and even before the sun rose Alex was woken up and none to kindly at that. Bonnie walked into his room and yanked the covers off of him.

"Get up now," she said. Not a morning person Alex lounged and screamed when Bonnie grabbed him by his hair.

"I said get up. You will do what I say young Alex or your death will come sooner than the next full moon," she hissed. When she let go of his hair Alex got up and got dressed in front of her not wanting to argue with her. Bonnie had switched him the night before for not minding her and Alex didn't want to add to the sores already on his legs. Once he was dressed she got a comb and fixed his hair then the two of them went out of his room and down some passages to a grand eating area, though Alex and Bonnie were the only ones there.

"Not long from now the Pharaoh will have breakfast with us. You will do as I say or I will take a whip to you," Bonnie said. Alex nearly choked on his food and wished he would wake up from his bad dream.

* * *

As morning arrived on Rick's ship the two lovers lay entwined after an intense session of lovemaking. Evie was still trying to catch her breath, her soft cheek pressed against the warmth of her husband's chest as he lightly stroked his hand over her back.

"Rick, we need to get up and see where we are," she said lifting her head. Rick reached out and placed his hand against her cheek.

"I know Evie, we will find him," Rick reassured then with one last lingering kiss they did get up to start the day and see if they were at their destination.

**Heidi Rittner (pen name JasmineHR****) February 20, 2002  
**Ardeth and Jonathan had already been up a few hours tending to the ship and their journey. They left Rick and Evie to themselves that morning, knowing it had been really difficult these past few days and that things were bound to get worse.

Rick and Evelyn emerged from their room. By Rick's calculations, they should be arriving in Egypt by late afternoon. Rick headed for the wheel to take over for Ardeth, and Evie wandered off towards the back of the ship.

Ardeth's eyelids were growing heavy and he was starting to slump forward slightly. It was late when he'd finally gotten to sleep, and staring out at nothing but rolling water for several hours did not help to wake a man up. He heard Rick approaching and immediately rolled back his shoulders and straightened his spine, putting himself back in his at-attention stance that the Med-jai were trained to hold for hours.

Rick placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and gave him a warm smile and nod that expressed his appreciation. "Thank you, Ardeth. Go and rest for a while."

Ardeth relaxed his stance and smiled. "It will not be long now, my friend. Egypt grows near." He headed towards his cabin to rest for the few hours they'd still be at sea.

Rick held the wheel steady and looked up at the clear blue sky. He was not big on the religion thing, but he closed his eyes and sent out a prayer for all the help they could get. At that same moment, Evie was also looking up towards the heavens and sending out a prayer of her own. Rick immediately felt the winds picking up, pushing the ship at a faster pace towards their destination. A smile of thanks and new found hope spread across his face.

"I say! Evie, come and take a look!" Jonathan yelled excitedly from the front of the ship.

Evie rushed over to Jonathan's side and stared at the mass of tan and gold that he was pointing to. "Egypt!" she smiled. "Rick, we're almost there!"

It made Jonathan so happy to see his sister and brother-in-law smiling. He turned his thoughts towards his own life and stared at the land that was growing bigger and bigger as they neared. The closer they got to Egypt, the less Jonathan seemed to worry or think about Bonnie. He somehow knew that she was fine and the closer they got to Egypt, the more he felt as if the feelings he had for her were not what he had thought; almost as if he wasn't given a choice in how he felt for her. It was confusing and hard for him to figure out. His dreams of the beautiful woman who resembled an Egyptian goddess were coming more often; every night since they'd boarded the ship actually. She had always held a small special place in his heart, but he felt as if this nameless dream woman was slowly taking over his whole heart, and pushing Bonnie out.

**Rachel (pen name Evie of the Nile****) February 21, 2002  
**After a few minutes some more people came in to the grand hall, they were all dressed almost the same, in silk loose fitting gowns and loincloth-like skirts for the men. The women had their hair up and beautiful despite the hour.

Suddenly they all stood, a bunch of men dressed in black leather and metal armor came parading in, followed by beautiful women in long revealing gowns. Alex just sat and watched until Nephthys realized that he wasn't standing and yanked him up be his arm, she dug her fingers into his bones and that almost made him want to cry out, but he held it in.

After the women paraded in and found their positions at the top of the table, the guards stood to attention as slowly, very slowly, the Pharaoh himself came in. He made his way around the table, as he did Alex stared at him, and he stared back at Alex with a quizzical look on his face, but then proceeded, head held high.

"Who is that?" Alex whispered to Nephthys after they all sat down.

"Shh" She answered.

"Who is it?" He asked again.

"Shh!" she once again answered.

"Who is it?"

"Quiet!" She demanded.

"Who is it!?" He asked again. Nephthys grabbed Alex be the ear and pulled him in close to her.

"Listen, you just sit here and do as I say, you got that?"

Alex thought a moment, he didn't know what drove him to it, but he wasn't in the mood to be bossed around be whoever she was. "Listen lady, you answer my question, or I make a scene, and I've done it before!"

To this Nephthys felt intimidated. "He's the Pharaoh." She informed him.

"I know that! Who is he?" He asked with a hiss.

"He's the Pharaoh of Luxor, a very wealthy man... Now! Will you please shut up before I escort you out myself?" Alex obeyed and ate the rest of his breakfast in silence as some random people came up and spoke.

* * *

After breakfast, and after Nephthys quickly pushed Alex out of the hall, they went back to the temple and into their rooms where they met Seth.

"Well? Is it on him?" Seth asked.

"Yes, he wears the bracelet, but I still don't know how you're going to get if off of him." Nephthys answered.

"You see, this is the beauty of it." Seth answered as he put his hand on Alex's head and ruffled his hair. "We'll use him as much as we can. He will get the bracelet, we will break his parent's hearts... and then we'll sacrifice him with it."

"On the next full moon," Nephthys agreed.

**Milo (pen name milo-n-vaughn****) February 24, 2002  
**Alex was sound asleep when the window of the sleeping chamber slid slowly from the wooden frame the glass was placed in. Two pairs of hands lifted the glass and set it quietly on the dirt outside the building.

Faint whispering could be heard from inside, but the three, Seth, Nephthys, and Alex were all sleeping and couldn't hear them.

"Good luck Gabs...and if he " A deep male voice could be heard more clearly than the female.

"Go back home Olympus, you already had enough of Seth's beating, don't let it happen again." The female said.

"And miss you on your greatest theft of all? I don't think so Gabrielle."

And so she slipped though the window, and walked across the floor to the boy's sleeping body. He felt fingers brush his cheeks and his eyes threatened to pop open, but he forced them shut.

"Kid, open your eyes, you aren't fooling anyone."

Alex's eyes flew open, and he sat up a bit, looking into the face of the young woman he'd encountered on the street, Gabrielle. She flashed him a mischievous smile. "Get up kid, I'm getting you out of here."

**Zanna- ****February 25, 2002  
**Alex smiled back at her relieved to finally get away from Nephthys and Seth. Maybe they could even help get back to his mom and dad.

He sat up quietly and looked over to where Seth and Nephthys were sleeping making sure not to wake them. He asked her quietly, "Who are you?"

"My name is Gabrielle, I will tell you who I am later, now quietly let's go before they wake up."

Alex nodded his head at her and quietly followed her across the room and out the window where a man was waiting. Alex didn't have time to look at him as they started to move away from the room where he had been sleeping with Seth and Nephthys.

**Marion (pen name GiantPygmyGirl****) February 26, 2002  
**Resting his hands lightly on the rail of the ship, Ardeth gazed out at the bluish water of the Nile River, which was moving sluggishly past him. He couldn't help but wonder whether they would reach Alex in time. He remembered how close a call they had had the last, and quite frankly he knew that the O'Connell's wouldn't be able to stand much more of this waiting around. They needed to get on land moving on their own feet, feeling that they were accomplishing something by exerting their pent-up nervous energy. Sighing, his gaze turned to the horizon where slowly but surely they were making their way towards Cairo's harbor.

* * *

The excitement of having Egypt so close to her had made Evelyn rather tired and she had taken her brother up on his idea of a catnap. Her body needed the rest. It craved it, her muscles shook with the effort of doing anything, and she could feel her body wearing thin. She knew enough of self-preservation to force herself to take some rest. The thought of sleeping had been made four hours earlier...

Rick walked quietly into the cabin he and Evelyn were sharing on the boat, tip-toeing as silently as possible around to the side of the bed and softly collapsing onto it. For a moment all he could do was stare. He never grew tired of looking at his wife, especially when she slept. Her slightly parted lips, the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the occasional sigh, and most of all her hair. It drove him crazy the way it wove and cascaded its way around her shoulders. He reached two tentative fingers out towards a particularly curly lock and twisted it between his thumb and forefinger. He had no desire to wake her just yet; he wanted only to observe. When the time did come he kissed her nose rather forcefully knowing it would arouse her from her slumber.

"Good afternoon beautiful, and welcome to Cairo." He said placidly bending down to kiss her as her eyes widened.

"We're finally here! I thought we would never make it... Oh Rick, I love you." She kissed him back, and for a moment they just stayed like that in one another's arms nipping and kissing one another in a child-like display of affection.

* * *

Stepping off of O'Connell's ship was like receiving an overly large coming of age gift for Ardeth. He worshipped the feel of land once again underneath his feet. Bending down to kiss the ground before moving to find a Camel renting hut which Rick had given him strict instructions to do so as soon as he disembarked he had the creepy sensation that he was being watched.

* * *

Nefret watched the harbor closely for incoming ships her soft brown eyes darting quickly back and forth from the shadows of the pillar she stood under. When the O'Connell's ship did arrive, her heart beat faster knowing that soon her job would almost be complete. What she was not prepared for was the man who stepped off that ship.

The first thing she focused on were his feet, darkly tanned with only thin desert sandals protecting them. Then, her gaze traveled further up noting the long, flowing black robes, not missing the jagged tattoo on his right hand, the unmistakable mark of a Med-Jai. The robes gently but tautly sloped off his shoulders and his well-defined muscular neck protruded from the scoop of the material. His hair was dark and his face handsome, once again; those amazing tattoos marked his status among society. Then, he did the strangest thing; he kneeled, kissing the ground. But, before he could complete his odd gesture he felt her eyes on him and stiffened. She quickly shrank behind the pillar her breathing coming in short gasps as she realized how much this man had just affected her.

**Shell (pen name Eviefan****) February 26, 2002  
**Once they were out of the palace, Alex sighed relief. He wanted to go home, to be with his parents and never touch foot in Egypt again. As he slouched down next to a wall Gabrielle had told him to stay at, he wondered if his mum would be angry with him for never wanting to go back. It was a hand on his shoulder that caused him to shriek very loudly, and Gabrielle grabbed him and pulled him with her as they began to run.

"You must not worry," she said to him as they ran, though she herself was slightly worried. Seth and Nephthys were powerful, but their powers were nothing she feared. Alex stumbled, and she quickly helped him up despite his tears.

"Hurry," she said. As he ran Alex remembered Ahm-Shere and something in him called out for him to run faster, which he did. They ran out of the perimeter of the palace and once they got to a small Oasis, Gabrielle let him rest.

"You must stay here," she said as if she sensed danger. Not one to argue due to aching lungs and stinging knees, Alex did as he was told and closed his eyes willing his mother to find him before the rise of the full moon. He didn't understand what these gods wanted of him, but he knew it wasn't anything good.

* * *

It did not take long for Ardeth to get their camels, and now the group had set out to the Edge of Cairo, but hesitant to go as if waiting for something, and the wait was not long as a beautiful woman approached them. From his dream, or vision Rick recognized her, but she spoke in the ancient tongue, and it was only Evie and Ardeth who could understand her and communicate with her, and fairly quickly it was Ardeth who did all the translating.

"She bids us to follow her," he said. Without any argument the group agreed, and the hardest part of the journey was at hand, for little did they know that Alex was in grave danger, as was his rescuer Gabrielle, and both would need help before the rise of the next full moon, in a weeks time.

* * *

_Yup, we're leaving you at a cliffy. Please note, none of us are really geography-smart, so please excuse any errors we may have made as far as sailing to Egypt. :) That's all for this batch! Please R&R!_


	6. Batch 6

Thanks so much to our faithful reviewer for the new review, zeusfluff!! Note: We gained more and more confidence in ourselves with each addition, so you'll notice the story getting better and better! Just wait until I post up the sequel, which won't be until this is done posting! As always, we appreciate reviews, but no flames, please! :)

**

* * *

****Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) February 27, 2002  
**Nefret studied the group of people who would be her companions for a while. It took her not even a minute of observation before she knew a little about each person's character. She watched as Rick helped his wife onto her camel. Anybody could see how much in love the couple was. She was envious that the soul mates had found each other because she just somehow knew that none of the men in ancient Egypt could possible be her soul mate. Back in her time, men did not tolerate woman such as herself. She was too self-reliant and would never be one of those weepy women who lived to serve their husbands. 

Her thoughts were interrupted as her gaze met the warriors. He was not as easy to read as the others. He always kept an expression as if he were bored and it was impossible to know what he'd do next or what he was thinking. He kept his gaze locked on hers and began walking over to her. Her heart did a little flip and once again, she was surprised at the effect he had on her.

He held out his hand to assist her onto her camel. In usual circumstances, she would have pushed the man's hand away and been offended that he thought she couldn't do it on her own, but she couldn't resist the opportunity of touching him. She placed her hand in his and got up onto the camel. From the moment they touched, it felt as if currents were running between their joined hands. As she continued to look into his dark brown eyes, a sudden thought came to her mind. Maybe she was correct about not having a soul mate in ancient Egypt. Maybe her soul mate wasn't from her time, but from the future, and quite possible, maybe he was standing near her now holding her hand. The thought so surprised her that she abruptly yanked her hand out of his.

Ardeth watched as her expression turned from appreciation and happiness, to deep thought, and then, abruptly a look of shock as she snatched her hand from his. She immediately put a smile back on her face and said a quick "Thank you".

He gave a nod and smile and in a swift flowing movement, was sitting atop his camel. This woman, he thought, was definitely fascinating. It would keep the journey interesting and he felt he'd never tire of her company. He watched as she took the lead. "By Allah, she is the most beautiful creature with her dark hair in ringlets and those emerald eyes, and such spirit!" he thought to himself.

Rick, Evie, and Jonathan had observed the whole interaction. The first two exchanged knowing glances while Jonathan rolled his eyes. Rick smiled as he recalled his and Evie's first few weeks together. His smile broadened at the thought of being the observer this time around.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) February 28, 2002  
**Gabrielle left for a little while, as Alex sat huddled under a tree. After a few minutes, as he got his breath back and tried to relax, although he was shivering from lack of clothes and the cool Egyptian night, Gabrielle came back, with some food and a jug of water.

"Did you get fed well?" she asked as she handed him the jug and he drank to his heart's content.

"Not...not really" He answered as he wiped off the access water that was dribbling down his chin. He took a piece of bread and started choking it down, it was obviously old and almost hard as a rock, but it would do. He hadn't eaten since the 'breakfast with the Pharaoh'. "By the way, he said as he put down the food, thank you for saving me, and if you don't mind my asking... who are you?"

"My name's Gabrielle." Was all she answered as she got up and pulled Alex up by the arm, "Put this on your shoulders, put up the hood, and try to remain anonymous." She said as she handed Alex a large black robe which hung to the ground.

He put on the robe, and covered his face with the hood. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"Home," She answered. They set off into the night, across the dunes of sand.

**

* * *

**

"WHERE IS HE?!" Nephthys shrieked when they awoke an hour ago. She and Seth looked high and low searching for the boy.

"If we lost the boy, we lost our only chance for another 50 years!" Seth snarled at Nephthys. "I thought you were watching him!?"

"I was! Until I fell asleep!" She screamed back.

"Well we have to get him back! I'll go take care of the Pharaoh, you get the boy! Got it?" He confirmed.

"Yes, make sure you do it right this time... I don't want to be waiting around for another fifty years." With that she left the room, down the hallway and out of the temple in search of 'the boy'.

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) March 2, 2002  
**Alex, Gabrielle, and the man, whom Alex had yet to know his name, trudged on for a few more hours, stopping to rest although it was clear the older two did not need it. But Alex did. He was tired and his whole body ached from running. But soon they reached their destination, a small town inhabited by very joyous people who, although were most obviously poor, always wore broad, cheerful smiles.

"Where are we?" Alex asked his companions.

"This is the outcast city of Teh-Suup-Suh." The man replied.

Alex's heart skipped a few beats when he did not see Gabrielle. He could not imagine being alone in this city with only the man whom he didn't know his name. But he quickly spied her, speaking cheerfully with a few townspeople. How could she be so cheerful after all that has happened? They'd been running for hours and it seemed to not even faze the young woman.

The man did not look so comfortable in the city as Gabrielle did. And once Alex looked close enough, he could see that the townspeople did not look quite too comfortable with him. Then Alex realized why. All the people in the town, and Gabrielle as well were dressed in ragged, dirty and torn clothing, but the man, Gabrielle's friend, wore nice, clean, new looking clothing.

"What's your name?" Alex blurted out to the man. He must have gotten his blurting out everything he was thinking trait from Jonathan.

The man seemed to hesitate, but he answered none the less, "Olympus..." And for the first time he smiled at Alex. A warm friendly smile, and Alex smiled back.

**Marion (****pen name GiantPygmyGirl****) March 5, 2002  
**The cool night air blew across her face and after riding all day aback a camel in the hot sun it felt wonderful. Her streaming tears melted down her cheeks in warm streaks as they pooled in the sand underneath her bowed head. She choked down her sobs, not wanting to be heard. In the distance she could just make out the rest of her party talking excitedly. No doubt they were hastily looking forward to their son's homecoming. Their hopes were too high, she knew that much. When she had lost her sister her whole world had collapsed, she did not want to see the faces of these individuals when they realized that their son could not be saved.

She threw her hands down into the coarse sand letting out a little painful squeal while doing so. She did not know that he was dead, she only assumed. _Question assumptions, because assume makes an ass out of you and me._ Her father's words rang out painfully in her head. The thought of her father made her angrier and more distressed. She curled herself up into a tiny ball her head surrounded by her arms, the vertex, and shook, squeezing her eyes shut while stifling her cries with her fist.

**

* * *

**

It had been years since he had touched a woman. "_Women are forbidden"_, rule number one in the Med-Jai Code. But, how she moved him to touch her! He could not bare to see her cry so... He did not know why she made his throat constrict. It wasn't like she was the only woman he'd ever seen. No, there must be something wrong with him. He'd known Evelyn for quite some time and she did not do this to him. If only he knew why he felt this way! He was exasperated, torn between his feelings and his moral duties. Quickly, enraged, he turned, his cloak flapped in the wind and he made no sound or so he thought as he returned to the O'Connell's and Jonathan around the campfire.

It had been years since he had touched a woman. ", rule number one in the . But, how she moved him to touch her! He could not bare to see her cry so... He did not know why she made his throat constrict. It wasn't like she was the only woman he'd ever seen. No, there must be something wrong with him. He'd known Evelyn for quite some time and she did not do this to him. If only he knew why he felt this way! He was exasperated, torn between his feelings and his moral duties. Quickly, enraged, he turned, his cloak flapped in the wind and he made no sound or so he thought as he returned to the O'Connell's and Jonathan around the campfire.

**

* * *

**

Her tear-jerked red and swollen eyes shot up with catlike precision. Her acute senses picked up a soft fluttering of material and her scimitar was quickly drawn from its sheath at her side. Nefret's nostrils flared as she whipped around, prepared to slit his throat if he came nearer. All she saw was his sleek form retreating off away from her into the desert toward his friends. She bit her lip in anger so hard that she drew blood. Cursing she slid the weapon back in its sheath with a sharp "Ka-Ching" and stomped angrily back to her mat. He was trying her patience.

In an isolated corner of the Universe Asyria looked down upon her older sister Nefret and blew a kiss, willing her to help these people as much as she could. It was at this moment that Nefret's preordained fate changed.

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) March 5, 2002  
**As they road through the silent desert, well ahead of the rest of their group, Rick noticed his wife's mood. In the beginning they had all been talking anxiously about discovering new places, and about finding Alex, but as the night drew on, and they made camp, Evelyn had found a place alone away from the others. Knowing she needed time to think, to work things out in her mind, Rick had left her alone, and had noticed how silent Ardeth had been having just come back to the fire from where ever he had gone. As time passed on, Rick went to the tent he and Evelyn would share, and got out a blanket. He walked over to where she stood next to the Nile, and put the blanket over her shoulders not getting response.

"What are you thinking of?" he asked as he rubbed her shoulders, and drew her back against him. Evelyn sighed looking up at the moon which was almost half full. She knew that unless they reached Alex before the next full moon he would die, and losing the only child she had ever been able to conceive was not something she could handle.

"I know you don't like to think of things that have already been written, but when the moon is full, if we don't get to Alex, then we will lose him," she said and began to shake. Rick turned her to face him and lifted her face holding her gaze with his own.

"I will die before I let any harm come to him Evelyn, and I mean that. Our son is not going to die, not at the next full moon, not until he has lived out his life in full," Rick said, then sealed his words with a kiss.

**

* * *

**

Night had fallen over the city of Teh-Suup-Suh, and in a small room, in one of the most comfortable beds he had ever slept in, Alex dreamed of being home with his parents, and with his dog Max, a German Shepherd who had been left with Marie during their absence. While he dreamed, a woman and a man entered the city in dark brown robes. They had come to take him back, to make him fulfill his destiny, and he would pay for running out on them, pay dearly for that.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) March 6, 2002  
**Bonnie and Seth worked their way slowly towards Gabrielle's small shelter which she called her home. They quietly ducked in and out of the shadows, using only the nearly full moon as their light. Neither had spoken a word until they had their backs against the side of Gabrielle's home.

"Seth," Bonnie said in a low whisper. "Are you sure Gabrielle had a part in his escape? We will have risked a great deal if we break in and we are wrong."

Seth gave Bonnie a disapproving look. "Of course I am sure." He whispered back. He did not like his keen logic to be questioned. "My idea will work. You will wait out here for me and keep watch. If you see anybody approaching, you must give me the signal."

Bonnie nodded her agreement and watched Seth disappear around the corner.

**

* * *

**

Olympus slept on a small cot outside the open door of Alex's temporary room. He had promised Gabrielle he'd take care of Alex while she used the dark of night to easily steal, or as she liked to say, "borrow" some food and supplies that they'd need for their journey to take Alex home.

Alex stirred as he felt a wet nose nudging his hand. He opened up his eyes and looked down.

"Hello, Max. How did you get inside the house?" Alex said in a sleepy voice.

Alex came fully alert when he remembered where he was. Max was here? That's not possible! He sat up on the edge of the bed and looked down at Max while stroking his soft fur. "How did you get here old boy?"

Max started to wag his tail and Alex got the idea Max wanted him to follow. He got up and began following Max. The moon shone through the open window making a glowing square of light on the ground. Max stepped closer and was half in the light. Alex immediately froze as he saw a shine coming from above one of the dog's paw.

"CRIPES! You're not Max!" Alex yelled, and immediately, the dog transformed back into Seth.

Seth grabbed Alex and pulled him against him, putting a hand over his mouth and a knife to his throat. The boy was far too clever and now he'd gained another road block in his plans, although Olympus, being the scrawny fellow he was, would be easily disposed of.

Olympus heard Alex and immediately was standing in the doorway with his knife in hand. "Let the boy go, Seth!" he yelled.

Seth pushed Alex behind him. "Come and get him." He said in a deadly voice while twirling the long knife in his hands.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) March 7, 2002  
**It was now about midnight as Gabrielle made the trek home with a sack of food slung over her shoulder. She neared her house and noticed that something was lit up inside. That was odd, she thought Alex and Olympus would have been in bed long before?

She neared the entrance with caution in case anything was amiss, "Max? What are you doing here?" She heard Alex ask from just inside the door, then she heard the loud "Cripes!" and a big bang.

She dropped the food in front of the door and ran inside the house, there she saw Seth with Alex slung over his shoulder and trying to punch him in the back. One handedly Seth grabbed Olympus by the collar and pushed him back into the doorframe to the next room, then he turned around to be face to face with Gabrielle.

"Move or you'll regret being here." He said in a low terrifying voice.

"No" She answered back looking him in the eyes.

"Alright, move or the kid gets it." He pulled out a blade from one of the folds of his robes, pulled Alex over and set him on the ground, then held the knife up to his throat.

"You would never." Gabrielle tried to keep calm.

"You don't think I would?" He asked quizzically.

"He's your only hope to rule Egypt, you wouldn't kill him." She said matter-of-factly.

"No, descendants from the Royal Family are the key to the future, his parents are probably on their way over anyway, I'll use his mother." Seth considered it for a moment. Gabrielle started to realize just how crucial it was that she get Alex away from this man.

She was about to step forward when someone came up from behind and grabbed her arm, "Going somewhere?" Nephthys asked wickedly as she twisted Gabrielle's arm. She pulled Gabrielle out of the doorway and let Seth through with Alex, then took her back into the house.

**

* * *

**

What are you doing with me?" Alex asked as Seth pulled him back to the temple.

"I'm not stupid kid, I wont' tell you." Seth kept his eyes on the road ahead.

"It has something to do with the bracelet, I know that, so just tell me, you want to rule Egypt don't you?" Alex persisted.

"Yes, and as things are going now, I'm succeeding, I have the bracelet, I'm rid of the pharaoh and am soon to unlock the- never mind." He caught himself, just then Nephthys came running up to catch up with them. "What did you do with her?" Seth asked.

"I tied them up in the back room and placed a lit candle on the edge of a table, so if they want to escape being burned to death they'll have to wait for the candle to burn out until they can move." She answered joyfully.

"You awful-" Alex started, Nephthys grabbed his arm and pushed him into the ground.

"How dare you talk to me! You little brat, when we get back to the temple you will be sorry you ever lived." She then turned to Seth, "Do we really need him anymore, his mother's on her way, why don't we just use her, I mean, think of what it'll do to Osiris to have his son killed and then watch his wife die mercifully in front of him." She tried, but Seth held his ground.

"I'm keeping opportunity open, I want to have as many descendants available as possible, besides, we'll kill them all when they come anyway."

**Jean -**** March 8, 2002  
**"You don't seriously think that my parents will fall for that will you? Lady, this isn't the first time they've had to rescue me from impending danger, and you're not the first to try. Give it up, my dad's going to kick your ass."

A harsh slap was heard, and Alex's hand flew to his face. Bonnie glared down at him, a growl rising in her throat.

"Don't ever raise your voice to me young man. I know all about the O'Connell's, and if you remember what happened to your mother before, I can guarantee that it'll happen again. You and your family will not survive this time....and your father will suffer our rage. Osiris will pay."


	7. Batch 7

Thanks again, zeusfluff!! Here's the next batch… Enjoy!

**

* * *

****Marion (pen name GiantPygmyGirl) March 12, 2002  
**The day dawned bright and sunny, unlike the end of the previous night. It would be a hot one, and Nefret knew that if they did not start moving soon, that there would be no point in starting at all. Packing her rucksack was a task she hated because she could never roll up the sleeping pad the right way. 

Ardeth, noticing her struggles came over to help her. As he stood gingerly behind her he smiled, laughing silently at the way her rear moved as she worked. Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder he asked her patiently, "Do you need any help Nefret?"

Amazing enough to herself she did not shrug off his hand like she had intended to, but instead snapped back at him, "I did not ask for any. I am quite capable of doing this myself."

"It would seem not so my dear, for as I watch you, something in your body language denies what you yourself feel true." Ardeth let his choice of words roll lightly off his tongue as his eyes danced.

Nefret looked up at him; confusion and wonder mixed themselves together as she frowned.

Ardeth could feel a tightening in his groin as that look burned right into his soul, he definitely knew something was wrong. He would talk to Rick about his feelings. They were beginning to puzzle him more.

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) March 13, 2002  
**After getting smacked by Bonnie, Alex learned to keep his mouth shut as they walked with him back to the Pharaoh's Palace. They had been walking for what seemed like ages, and he was hungry and thirsty.

"Come on give me some water," he wined for about the millionth time. Ahead of him Seth and Nephthys talked of their plans to gain power. Full moon was in three days, and the two of them were ready to rule this time period and change history forever.

"Please let me have some water," Alex said again. Nephthys turned and drew from her pack a skin of water. She opened it and handed it to him, only when she did she made sure it dropped in the sand. It hit the ground and the water began to spill out. Too thirsty to care that he would get a mouthful of sand, Alex grabbed it an drank the last gulp of water.

"Now then you keep your mouth shut. I already have plans to give you lashes with a whip for speaking to me in such a disrespectful manor, and I will add to them for every word you utter from here on out," she said. Alex closed his eyes and prayed a silent prayer that his parents would get to him before they did that, or that Gabrielle and Olympus would.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) March 13, 2002  
**Gabrielle slowly came out of her drugged sleep. It was very dimly lit in the room. She was leaning against something hard and thin and her arms were aching behind her. She tried to bring her arms around to rub off the pain, but she realized she was tied up. She became fully alert and realized where she was. She was sitting on the ground back to back with Olympus with one of the table legs between them. There was rope wrapped around the both of them, binding them to each other, and also rope binding their hands. Damn her! Bonnie knew she could not overpower Gabrielle, so she had resorted to using a cloth with some type of chemical to temporarily knock her unconscious.

"Olympus, wake up. Are you alright?"

Olympus groaned and opened his eyes. "Other than a splitting headache I am fine." Seth had hit him on the back of the head with the handle of his knife.

"We've got to get to the boy before it's too late." She began to try reaching her thumb and pointer fingers up to try work on the knot around her wrists first. She immediately froze when she noticed the dim light in the room start to move back and forth, as if someone was moving the candle. She glanced up and saw the lit candle teetering dangerously on the edge of the table.

"For the love of Horus!" she exclaimed.

"What is it?" Olympus asked getting worried by her tone.

"Bonnie is more clever than I though. If we wish to escape, we will have to wait several more hours or risk setting my home and ourselves on fire. We cannot wait that long. We must get to Alex before any more harm comes to him. If his parents do in fact find their way here, then we will need to get to them and warn them before Seth and Bonnie take them by surprise."

"Gabs, we will be of less use if we are burned to death. Perhaps we should wait it out. There's nothing much we can do to get out of these ropes."

Gabrielle pursed her lips and looked around for something…anything. Her eyes lit up and she smiled as she spotted Olympus' knife. It had been knocked out of Olympus' hand before she had gotten there, and now laid only a few inches in front of her outstretched legs.

"Oly, I have an idea."

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) March 16, 2002  
**"Help slide the table over toward your knife, it's just in front of me" She said, he pushed across the floor very gently so he didn't disturb the candle, they managed to get close enough to the knife so that Gabrielle could pull it the rest of the way with her foot. She got the knife across the floor and managed to give it one good kick toward her hips, where from there she was able to lean down and grab it., "I have it," She said excitedly"What?" Olympus asked.

"The knife!" She snapped.

"Good, now you can cut the ropes!" He said just as excited.

She thought about making a remark about how obvious the use of the knife was, but she decided not to cause him to get upset. It took a while but she finally cut through the ropes.

* * *

One last scream was heard piercing through the corridors of the temple followed by the crack of a whip. "Shut up kid!" Nephthys shrieked back at Alex as he tried to catch his breath after begging forgiveness to no avail.

At this point to him, all was lost, if his parents did come they'd be met by probably the most powerful, hate-filled people he'd ever met, never mind the fact that there wasn't much of a chance of them finding the portal to ancient Egypt anytime soon. He just wished it was over.

Nephthys grabbed him by the arm and jerked him back up onto his feet, he let out a cry in pain as she twisted his bruised and slashed arm. "I don't even know why he doesn't just let me kill you, you're good for nothing!" She complained to herself as she half dragged him across the room to a pole that supported the ceiling.

She threw him down to the ground "Sit up!" She commanded, he slowly got up and leaned against the pole, she pulled out some ropes and tied them around him and the pole. He was very uncomfortable, not only his upward position, but the fact that his back, behind and legs were all bruised and cut.

She took out a rag and gagged him, he almost choked on it, it was very tight in his mouth. With that, and no food, she left, blew out any candles and slammed the door. He could hear her yelling at Seth.

"Can't I just kill the brat!? What good is he!?" she shrieked.

"He will be killed soon enough," Seth kept a steady yet deep voice. "Be patient, I would kind of appreciate the parents being there to see as well, it will be quite a spectacle.

**Kate - March 17, 2002  
**Alex looked around desperately for something to help him escape. He definitely did not want to hang around for the "spectacle" of his death. He couldn't see anything, though, as the candles had been blown out. He sifted through the sand that his fingers grazed, but found nothing (he couldn't reach very far because his hand were bound). Alex leaned back in despair, fighting tears. Just then, something sharp pricked his wrist. He gasped in pain, then felt for what had hurt him. It was a tiny but sharp piece of wood, jutting out from the pole. Alex knew that this could be his only chance of escape. Eagerly, he rubbed the cloths that bound him against the pole, and they began to tear. Alex knew that his escape may be near.

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) March 21, 2002  
**It was very late at night when Nefret finally led them to their destination. She had not said very much after Ardeth had told her his feelings, having never had feelings like that herself for anyone, and now that she was having them, it was a little unsettling. She turned to him, feeling more comfortable now that they were finally where they should be. "We have very little time. I do realize that it will not be easy, but we must move quickly, in two days the boy will be sacrificed, and with or without you that will happen. If we do not save him, the fate of the world as you know will be forever changed," She said.

Without anymore words she turned and placed her hand against an ordinary stone. It lit up as bright as the sun, and everyone had to turn their heads. When they looked back the stone was gone, and in its place stood some sort of transparent passage, as if the very fabric of time had been opened. She moved into the passage, disappearing and Ardeth followed her.

Jonathan looked at his brother in law and sister, and gulped then went through himself, leaving them alone.

"We will get him," Rick said. He took Evie in his arms and gave her a gentle kiss, then took her hand and led her to the portal. Letting her go first, Rick closed his eyes. 'God I know I don't pray nearly enough, but please let us save our son,' he thought, then after taking a breath he moved into the portal.

Once he had done that the portal disappeared and the rock took its place. The last of their Journey to save their son had begun.

* * *

With one last rip the fabric that bound his bruised body to the pole came apart, and Alex was free. It was dark, but not so dark that he couldn't make out the lay out of the room he was in. After taking a deep breath he forced his body to move knowing he risked getting more lashes. This time he knew he was going to have to be clever, and face these two god awful people on his own. He felt along the walls for what seemed like forever before he found a crevice just big enough for him to fit into. Once he had gotten in there he crawled in some sort of passage for what seemed like ages until he felt the cool night air on his face. His lips were parched and dry from being dehydrated and he wanted to lay down on the stone floor he was crawling on and sleep but he knew he would likely die if he didn't keep moving.

* * *

When she went to check on the boy and found him missing again, Nephthys grabbed her whip. As she walked out of the room ready to beat him into a pulp Seth grabbed her. "You will not harm him, when you find him you need to clean him up my dear. He has to have his strength to endure the ritual, if he dies, then I won't hesitate to make you regret it all your days," he said. He loved her, but he would not let her, nor anyone else stop what he had in mind for the future of this world and the other.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) March 21, 2002  
**Jonathan was the first to emerge from the tunnel. He had felt some type of a pull towards this place, as if some part of his destiny was soon to be revealed. He lowered the arm he'd been using to shield his eyes from the blinding light and took a few seconds to let his eyes adjust. The sun had just risen to greet the new day and there were only a few people scattered throughout the area. Jonathan took a moment to admire the beauty of it from his high viewpoint. He took it all in…The sun with all it's oranges and reds…the sand glittering from the sun's rays…the clean and kept up palace and it's surroundings…the woman from his dreams… Jonathan's heart fluttered, and his head immediately turned back to the direction of his last observation. He put a hand over his eyes to take a bit of the glare off and tried focusing on the figure in the distance, but it was too far of a distance to make out any exact features. The woman was apparently either a thief or hiding from someone, judging by the way she kept her back to walls and was using various carts and shaded areas to move about. It seemed she was heading for the palace.

Rick, Evie, and Ardeth had also been taking in their new surrounds. Rick noticed that something had captured Jonathan's attention. He placed his hand on Jonathan's shoulder. "What is it Jonathan? Did you find one of them?" Rick was, of course, referring to Bonnie, Seth, or his son.

Jonathan shook his head to clear it. "No, sorry chap. I've never seen any of these people before." _When this is over, I definitely need to go on holiday_, Jonathan thought to himself. He shook his head and mumbled to himself. "The woman from my dreams…" he gave a little snort and continued mumbling to himself. "You're losing your last bit of sanity ol' boy."

* * *

Gabrielle was slowly making her way towards the palace. Olympus was keeping watch and would give her a signal if he spotted anything. She knew that Seth and Bonnie were hiding in the palace with Alex in their claws. She had to be careful because Bonnie and Seth knew she would be trying to free Alex once again. She was just about to duck out from under the shade of a building when she felt eyes on her. She froze and with her keen senses, located the person observing her. It was quite a distance away, but she made out the figure of five people high up on the mountain. "That's odd," she thought to herself. "How did they get way up there and why would they want to be way up there?" She then remembered Alex telling her about the tunnel that he, Seth, and Bonnie had come through. Surely that must be his parents and a small army of helpers. Her gaze locked on the figure she felt watching her and her stomach fluttered. "I must have eaten something funny," she mumbled. Now she had a dilemma. Should she try and sneak her way to the group and have backup, but risk getting caught, or should she go on her own to the palace, which was not too far ahead of her now, and risk trying to get Alex alive and most likely fighting Bonnie, Seth, and any followers they may have? She decided she'd have better luck joining Alex's parents and their small army of five, so she used simple hand gesture signals to tell Olympus of her new plan.

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) March 25, 2002  
**Rick nodded as he studied Jonathan's face, squinting his eyes as he tried to think of what the look was Jonathan was wearing. He knew he recognized the gleam in Jonathan's eyes from somewhere, but he couldn't place it. Brushing it aside, he tried to think of the problem at hand, rather than worry with Jonathan's facial expressions. He looked at Evelyn, who was obviously taken by the beautiful past that surrounded her and smiled a bit, glad she'd gotten her mind off of Alex for at least a second.

He looked out at the Egyptian sunset and then felt his wife's hand around his arm. "Rick do you know where we are?"

"I'm guessing Egypt." Rick answered, trying to make her smile.

And she did smile, that cute little smile he loved so much and poked him in the ribs a bit, "Well of course Egypt...but I think that we are in the past!" Evelyn said, that giddy girlish tone in her voice.

"So where do you think they kept prisoners or children in Ancient Egypt?" Rick mused.

And surprisingly enough she took him seriously, tilting her chin up and looking at him from down her nose, "Well I don't think that-"

Suddenly, Jonathan's bit-of-high-pitched scream was heard behind them and Rick and Evelyn spun around to see what was going on.

"Cripes! Bloody hell!!" Jonathan was spinning around as Gabrielle and Olympus stood behind him with raised eyebrow expressions glued on their faces.

Pressing a hand to his chest and trying franticly to catch his breath, Jonathan pointed at Gabrielle and breathed at her loudly, showing off how petrified he was, "What...are you trying to do to me! Who are y-" It was then Jonathan recognized her...the girl he'd been dreaming of for years. This of course didn't help his breathing/heart attack problems and he started coughing as he blushed like crazy.

Gabrielle was trying her hardest to ignore the fact that just weeks earlier she'd had a long conversation with Olympus about this very man from her dreams, and was turning to the very next alternative. Being incredibly hostile. She watched Jonathan with a bit of a sneer as Rick shoved him aside and looked her over.

"Who are you?" Rick asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Gabrielle, I've been helping your son, Alex." She replied, trying to make her small self taller than she was, so she'd at least meet Rick's eyes.

Evelyn was at Rick's side in an instant, leaving Jonathan in the dust where she was helping him control himself, "Alex? You know about Alex?"

* * *

Gabrielle and Olympus lead the five others to Olympus' hole in the ground home where they filled them in on the situation and fed them what they could spare (and steal). And after going over their plans and assuring Evelyn that Alex was fine when they'd been with him, Rick, Evelyn, Olympus, and Ardeth and Nefret (who'd stayed quiet and on guard) all fell asleep in various places around the house. Jonathan and Gabrielle stayed awake, sneaking glances at each other frequently.

Jonathan had also grown hostile to Gabrielle, and looked at her with a glare from the other side of the room, "I wanted to thank you for scaring the bloody hell out of me, by the way."

Rolling her eyes, Gabrielle looked at Jonathan disbelievingly, "Are you always such a wimp or did I catch you on a good day?"

Snorting Jonathan started to shoot back with something just as witty, but then stopped when he realized he didn't have anything in mind so just snorted again to make up for his wide open mouth.

Jonathan stared at the fire for a few moments until he realized that Gabrielle was looking at him with an amused half smile. His lips tugged to smile themselves but instead he put up his defense, "What?"

He could have sworn that the young thief blushed then, although he thought it impossible, but she looked down before he could tell for sure. "You just remind me of someone."

"Alex perhaps?"

Her nose wrinkled as she grinned, "I suppose so. He has you and Evelyn's eyes." _Beautiful eyes, _she thought to herself.

Jonathan nodded a few times, just watching the beauty in front of him. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the girl in his dreams. She had the same big brown eyes, tan skin and beautiful dark hair. Full lips too, he noted lustfully. Before he could stop himself, it just came out, "You are even more beautiful then the dreams..."


	8. Batch 8

**Evie - March 25, 2002  
**Gabrielle stared at him open mouthed. Not knowing what to say. "You aren't so bad looking yourself either." She said looking at him from head to toe.

"Uh oh, Jonathan has another crush." Rick jokingly whispered to Evie.

"At least it isn't that bitch Bonnie." She said smiling.

Then all of a sudden there was a noise from outside.. Like someone around there.. They all turned in that direction, and Gabrielle went to see what it was.. What she saw made her gasp.....

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) March 28, 2002  
**Gabrielle could not believe who was standing at the door. "What in the name of Horus are you doing here? You must be begging for a beating!" All of her rage and anger build up as she drew back her fist and was about to send it flying into Bonnie's face with every ounce of her strength, but a hand grabbed her arm. She frowned and turned to see that it was Jonathan holding her back.

"Bonnie! My love! What has happened to you?" She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as she heard him refer to Bonnie as 'his love' and at the way he looked at Bonnie.

At that time, the rest of the group had joined them by the door and they all had a look at the visitor. It was Bonnie all right. She looked terrible though. Her hair and clothing were disheveled and she was visibly shaking. She looked terribly frightened and she immediately stepped inside and embraced Jonathan. They stood by and watched the exchanges between Jonathan, Bonnie, and Gabrielle.

"Oh it was terrible! Some crazy man had shown up at Evie's vacation house and he snatched me and Alex and took us here. He locked us up and I had just managed to escape when I saw you and followed you here!" She looked Jonathan in his eyes. "I'm so glad you've come to rescue me." Bonnie kept her eyes locked on Jonathan's in order for her hypnotizing to take effect. She had noticed that her spell on him had warn down quite a bit.

Gabrielle was furious! "Why you lying piece of camel—" She stopped as Jonathan broke his eye contact with Bonnie to look at her. His eyes were not normal. They looked as if they were clouded over. She was on to Bonnie's trick.

Bonnie grabbed his arm to get his attention. She had to get him alone to complete the spell without any interruptions. He looked back at her. "Please Johnny. Can we go outside to talk alone? I really need your comforting right now."

Evie cringed as she heard Bonnie call him 'Johnny'. She knew that Jonathan hated that nickname and immediately stepped forward. "I don't know if that's a good idea Jonathan. How do we know if we can trust her?"

Rick put his arm around Evie. "It's alright love. She looks like she's been through a lot. I'm not sure if we were right about her. Just give them a few minutes of privacy."

Bonnie gave him a smile of appreciation and led Jonathan out into the night a few feet outside. Everyone except Gabrielle headed back to get some sleep. Gabrielle was fuming! She had to do something. She watched from inside as Bonnie spoke to him and kept her eyes locked on his. There was only one thing she could do to break that spell and it gave her butterflies just thinking of it.

"Bloody hell…" she muttered the new phrase she had learned from Jonathan and stormed into the night in their direction. She grabbed Jonathan's arm and swung him around to face her. She put her hands on either side of his face, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him the kiss of a lifetime.

Bonnie watched in shock and knew that Gabrielle had ruined that plan. She immediately fled back to the palace so that she and Seth could come up with a different plan.

She had only meant to give him a short simple kiss, but the sparks flying between them was fueling the fire. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He put one hand at the nape of her neck to deepen the kiss and his other arm wrapped around her waist to bring the full length of her against the full length of him.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) March 29, 2002  
**"Where's the boy?" Seth asked infuriated.

"I told you! I didn't find the boy! But the family's here, Nefertiri, Osiris and the brother. I tried to get to him but that cursed Gabrielle got in my way."

"And you didn't find the boy?" He asked again.

"NO!"

"He's not with the family?"

"Not that I know of. I don't think he is." She informed.

"Well then, I think this is coming around nicely, all we have to do is to find him, inform the family and then go about our business. Which I might add needs to be done tomorrow night!"

* * *

He wearily wandered through the village, people stopped and looked at him, but no one would help him. He didn't know where he was going never mind where he even was. "Please help me" He uttered, but no one understood him anyway. 

They watched his every move from the other side of the retaining wall. "We can go get him now, just pretend he's a lost child." She whispered to Seth.

"No, wait." He hissed.

Alex was in the middle of the street, he made his way dragging his feet on the ground and his head was slumped to the side of his shoulder.

"I can't believe you! Of all people you should know what these people are like! You date enough of them, they cheat, they steal and they ruin families!" She screamed at her brother as the abruptly walked through the streets of the village. She was on a mission to look for Alex. Although they probably wouldn't find him here.

"Well look at your husband! Not exactly the most well bred of them all wouldn't you say?" Evelyn spun around.

"Now you listen to me-" She began.

As Alex dragged along the streets, one of the shop owner's camels came loose, the man ran over to get them back, but in doing so, startled them. They all set off down the street, there were five of them, they charged down the middle...

Alex looked up and saw them coming straight for him.

Nephthys and Seth saw the herd coming toward him at the same time.

"-Rick is a loving caring man and I'll be damned if I'm going to put up with- Oh my God, ALEX!" She saw her son in the street, and she also saw the camels coming at him, he looked very different dressed in Egyptian attire but she knew it was him.

This caught Jonathan's attention and he spun around seeing his nephew, they both ran toward him.

Seth and Nephthys jumped over the wall and ran toward the boy.

**Marion (****pen name GiantPygmyGirl****) April 2, 2002  
**Ardeth raced towards Alex who stood aghast in the path of the stampeding camels, leaving Evelyn and Jonathan in the dust behind him. His breath came ragged in his chest as he pumped his muscles towards the shocked boy. Faster he ran, trying desperately to reach Alex before Bonnie, Seth, or the camels did. He could feel the perspiration begin to drip down the sides of his face despite the cool air that greeted his skin. He pushed himself more, almost to the limit of his physical strength, but, he managed to reach Alex just in time, shoving him out of the way before he was crushed. In saving Alex he did not save himself, for one of the camels nicked his heel and he was sent sprawling onto the ground, his chin hitting the gravel hard, jarring his entire head and causing immediate pain, his leg twisted beneath him as the camel too, fell. His world turned crimson before fading completely.

Nefret watched as Ardeth went down, her essence collapsing about her. Her eyes brimmed with tears as Ardeth was lost in a swirling of beige dust. She was somewhat aware of what was going on around her for she heard gunshots in her subconscious. Rick standing next to her had fired two shots, disabling Bonnie and Seth before they were able to lay a finger on his son. Seth, he shot in the leg, while Bonnie was shot in the shoulder. Both of them plunged just seconds after Ardeth, but not with the glory that he had. Evelyn rushed to Alex's side while Rick, Jonathan, Gabrielle, and Nefret rushed to Ardeth.

Ardeth at this time was in his own universe, feeding on memories of a few days before when he had confronted Rick with his growing dilemma. Rick too was remembering their conversation through a vision.

_After awaking from an extremely good night's sleep Ardeth made his way over to where he was alone, polishing his gun. _

"Rick, may I speak with you on a private matter?"

"Certainly Ardeth. Whaddya want?" his casual English slid off his tongue pleasantly.

"I am sure you have noticed that there seems to be something wrong with me lately. I am not myself, at times I will shake and become very hot. None of this is extremely unusual, but it only occurs when I am observing Nefret. I also, on these occasions, I notice a slight tingling in my abdomen which spreads considerably lower." Ardeth's eyes darted around nervously, yearning for answers.

Meanwhile he couldn't believe he was hearing this. "Uh..." he stuttered, completely shocked.

"Rick, I know about the joining of a man and a woman to create life, but I do not know exactly what takes place. I am not accustomed to feeling this way, but I must admit, it is a pleasant way to feel."

"Ardeth, maybe we should sit down." he added in his mind because this could take a long time. He was completely speechless; for once he was at a total loss for words. He remembered the exact time and day when Alex had first asked him about sex, but this, this was unexpected. It was Ardeth, Ardeth knew everything.

"But first, Rick, tell me this," Ardeth continued. "What is this feeling that I get in my groin? It's a very interesting sensation." Ardeth's eyes were innocent.

"Oh boy..." he heaved a great sigh as he settled deep into the sand.

He spent the next hour and a half explaining the birds and the bees to Ardeth, all the time wondering why the Med-Jai didn't know any of this stuff.

"Ok, Ardeth, it's called being 'turned on'. When you get that sensation it means you are ready to engage in sex, maybe not ready, but on your way to being ready. Understand?" Ardeth nodded.

"And what do we have here?" Evie's voice popped from behind his head.

"Wha...? Oh, this does sound kind of interesting doesn't it?" he asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Rick dear, might you tell me what's going on, it does sound quite interesting!"

Rick gave a suggestive cough turning away from Ardeth to face his wife, glaring at her. "Later." He said with emphasis.

"Well, if you insist!" and she flounced away smiling to herself.

After Evelyn left Ardeth explained to him the Med-Jai code. He was appalled to find out that they were not even allowed to touch women until they retired from the service. So, he assumed this was why Ardeth did not even know the basic sex-ed. that he had learned in grade school.

Rick smiled inwardly as he and Jonathan lifted Ardeth gently, carrying him away from the carnage to the side of the street. Rick savored the humorous memory in his mind in case he would never hear Ardeth's guttural laugh again.

* * *

As Nefret looked at Ardeth's closed eyes she remembered the first time she had discovered his true feelings for her. 

NOTE: A paragraph has been omitted for ratings purposes. This paragraph can be viewed at the website.

How foolish she had been, she had taken advantage of an innocent man just being himself, the male sex. She cursed silently as a tear slipped down her cheek and onto his tunic. She really did love him, she knew that deep down...When she had first laid eyes on him, kissing the ground at the harbor she knew he was different, her soul mate. She began crying joyously, realizing that she had found the one person she was meant to be with. Someone so innocent that they had not even touched a woman in a loving way before, so naive that they barely knew their own body, much less hers, and so dedicated that they would risk their life a thousand times over for the cause of good preservation. She rejoiced to the heavens, all the while willing this man, her soul mate to fight, to survive, to continue living.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) April 6, 2002  
**Nefret and Jonathan took the semi-conscience Ardeth back to their hut as Rick and Evelyn tended to their son, who was--without a doubt--in need of the attention.

"Oh Alex! I love you I love you I Love you!" Evie kept kissing her son who seemed not to be fully aware of where he was, he just slumped into the grasp.

Rick knelt into the sand and hugged his son as well "I knew you'd be OK, I knew it!" he said as the three hugged.

Alex only knew the past couple minutes as a blur, he heard the commotion, saw the camels, and then heard two gunshots. After this all he knew was that his parents miraculously appeared and were now practically strangling him...which he didn't' mind. "I love you" He said to them both as they held him in the hug for quite a long time.

* * *

After Seth had healed his leg and Nephthys' shoulder with just a touch of his hand to the wounds, he got up again from behind the barrel of wine. 

"What now?" Nephthys asked as she got up behind him and peered over. They were down a little alleyway between two huts where they stored the great barrels of wine for feasts and celebration.

"We need that boy, I want the boy. He'd be the easiest to get and we have until tonight to get him! Do whatever you must. Now what can we use as a distraction?"

Rick, Evelyn, and Alex were on their way back to the hut, which was several kilometers from the village. Rick had his son in his arms and Evelyn was beside them. "We need to make sure that Ardeth's alright. I hope so because he saved Alex! Oh, I'm worried about him." Evie said.

"I hope he's OK too." Rick said, then he looked down and noticed that their son was sound asleep, it was probably the first sound sleep he'd had in a while now. It would be his parent's first sound sleep tonight too.

"He looks like an angel." Evie said as she wiped off some of the dirt from his brow.

"Oh, watch out." Rick said as he led Evelyn off to the side of the road, as a cart of wine barrels came up from behind.

As the cart got in front of them it stopped. Rick and Evelyn took no notice of it and began to walk around when from the front came a recognizable voice. "Stay where you are!" It called out. Then She stepped out from the side.

"Bonnie!?" Evie said under her breath.

"It will be Nephthys, please and thank you. Now give me the boy." She said.

"No" Rick said, Alex was still asleep as he was exhausted.

"Have it your way." She said, she jumped up onto the cart and kicked the pile of barrels toward the O'Connells. There were about ten of them, and they all came rolling down at once.

Evelyn jumped one way, and Rick the other, separating the two from each other.

Just as Evie was getting back up she heard a low growl over her head, when she looked up she saw the snarling mouth of a wolf, with yellow piercing eyes that looked down on her.

Rick managed to keep his footing and when he was about to run over to his wife he heard another snarl. He whipped around and saw another wolf making its way to him, it looked exactly the same.

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) April 6, 2002  
**Seth appeared next to the wolves. "Now Human fool, unless you want that boy mauled, because they only want your son, I suggest you give him to me," he said.

While he talked, Evie had made her way to Rick very slowly, and arrived just as Seth finished his statement. Her heart began to beat fast. They had just gotten their baby back, and he was injured, with cuts that could get infected. A feeling of deja vu hit her, and she couldn't believe what came out of her mouth. "Rick give Alex to him," she said.

Evidently Rick couldn't believe either, and looked at her in shocked disbelief. "Your kidding right?" he asked, though it was evident that from the look she gave him she was clearly not kidding him.

Alex began to stir then and opened his eyes seeing both Seth and Bonnie. "You can't do anything to me now," he said sleepily, not aware of what his parents were about to do.

Rick gave Alex to Evelyn who whispered something in his ear, and he grasped around her neck. "No, no, you can't give me to her, she whipped me," he said and started to cry.

It was almost too much for both parents, but Evelyn had a plan, and she knew that no more harm would come to her son, at least not until the sacrifice, and they had the better part of a day to save him from that. "Alex shh, Do you remember when we told you about Hamunaptra, and how I went with Imhotep?" she asked.

Alex nodded and it dawned on him, though when it came time for him to go with the bad guys he still cried. As soon as Seth had Alex he healed all the wounds and held him close, this time not willing to let Bonnie harm him. The two of them disappeared along with the wolves, and when they were gone, Evie slumped down and began to sob.

Quickly Rick knelt beside his wife and helped her stand, getting them away from the busy streets. Once they were in the Alley he kissed her deeply, then pulled away. "Evelyn, we will get him back."

She sniffed and nodded. "I don't know how he will ever trust us again putting him back in the hands of those that hurt him," she replied as they started back toward the cottage. On the way they discussed plans, for how to get Alex back, and Evie reviled that in this time they would be able to find a very new Hamunaptra, as well as a free Imhotep from his tomb, to save Alex, and this world, as well as the other from the plans Seth had, or at least she hoped as much.


	9. Batch 9

Thanks so much for the review, lilylynn! Here's the next batch for our readers. Enjoy, and don't forget to R&R! :)

**

* * *

Heidi Rittner (pen name JasmineHR) April 8, 2002  
**Nefret and Jonathan deposited Ardeth's unconscious body onto the bed that Alex had been using during his stay with Gabrielle. Jonathan watched as Nefret dragged a chair to Ardeth's bedside and took his hand in hers. He could see both love and sorrow in her eyes as she softly spoke to him in the ancient Egyptian language. Jonathan only picked up a word here and there and gathered that she was willing Ardeth to open his eyes, and reassuring him that everything would be all right. Jonathan felt a twinge of jealousy towards Ardeth. He thought of Gabrielle and hoped that she would come to love him just as much some day. 

Just as the thought came in to his mind, Gabrielle and Olympus walked in carrying various herb and liquid medicines and bandages that they had collected. Gabrielle brought the items over to the bed and mixed some herbs into the liquids to form a concoction that would prevent infection to the deep gash on the underside of Ardeth's chin. She dipped a cloth in the concoction and was about to clean the wound when a hand stopped her. She looked at Nefret questioningly.

"Please. Let me tend to his wounds." Gabrielle saw the look in her eyes and nodded, handing her the bowl and cloth. She watched as Nefret lovingly began to clean off the dried blood and the dirt out of the wound. She looked over to Jonathan and saw that he too was watching. Jonathan looked over to her and nodded his head towards the door, signaling for her to leave the two alone. They quietly closed the door behind them and were left facing each other with only mere inches between them.

Jonathan reached his hand up to caress her cheek while gazing into her eyes. She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes sighing. The magic was broken when the door slammed open and a very angry Rick came walking in holding the hand of a very sad and worn out looking Evie.

"What is wrong?" Gabrielle asked.

Jonathan looked behind Rick and Evie awaiting one more person. "Where's Alex?"

Rick scowled and Evie took in a deep breath to stop the tears that were threatening to spill forth. "Bonnie…er.. Nephthys and Seth have him."

"Bloody hell," Gabrielle muttered. Evie gave her brother an accusing look, knowing that Gabrielle most likely picked up that blasphemy from him. Jonathan just shrugged and Gabrielle continued. "We must get him out of there before it is too late. He can do much harm with a descendant of the Royal Family."

Rick's eyes widened. "Descendant of the _Royal Family?!_"

Evie was just as shocked to hear that and her heart skipped a beat. "Wait a minute. Who is the current ruler?"

Gabrielle gave her a funny look but then remembered that they had not had a chance to ask about the land and time that they had arrived in. "Why, the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre. Have you not heard of Pharaoh Seti the first? He has been ruling now for many years." Gabrielle studied Evie for a while. "I have only caught a glimpse of his daughter a few times from a distance, but you remind me a lot of her."

"My God," Evie said. "If they destroy Pharaoh Seti and his daughter, then I and Alex will never have been born. That means that one or both of them is still alive!"

Rick tensed up. He could not live without Evie or Alex. "We must find them and Alex before history is changed. The early murder of Pharaoh Seti will cause changes in history."

Gabrielle's eyes widened. "What do you mean 'early murder'? Who would want to murder him when he has been a great leader for us? When will this happen? I must do something about this!"

Rick shook his head. "No. It's in history and has to take place. Any changes and it could end in something worse than raising a cursed Mummy."

Gabrielle turned white and Jonathan stood close to her in case she would faint. "WHAT?"

"Don't worry about it my dear." Jonathan said reassuringly while patting her on the back. "Maybe I'll get to tell you the whole of it one day."

**Marion (****pen name GiantPygmyGirl****) April 11, 2002  
**Evie turned to Rick exclaiming, "This gives us an even greater cause to hurry!" She yanked on his arm, ushering Gabrielle and Olympus to join them. She cast a slight backward glance into the room where Nefret was dutifully tending to Ardeth's wounds. Not caring how loud she got, Evelyn gave a cat call asking, "Nefret, are you coming?"

The response Evelyn got was a long one. "I have fulfilled my duty to you, my job is done, and now I must stay with Ardeth, to make sure no harm comes to him. Go, save your son, and the world if that be your destiny, but you require no more help from me."

Turning back to her husband Evelyn whispered, "That was rather rude, don't you think?"

Without further adieux the group of four people went off into the night to save the world.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nefret was in with Ardeth, tending to his wounds. She had just finished covering the large gash on his chin with a piece of gauze to stop the bleeding when she came to the realization that maybe he wasn't coming back. She'd heard of it in her times, an injured person would experience something called 'brain death'. This was when all apparent activity of the brain ceased. She prayed that this had not occurred. She gently tilted his head backwards, opening his mouth, allowing the windpipe to be cleared and air to enter and exit more easily. She gently kissed his chin where she had adhered the bandage to the abrasion on his chin. When she opened her eyes to lie them on his face she jumped back, startled and embarrassed, because what she found was not the unconscious man she had seen just moments earlier but the deep brown of his eyes on her quickly reddening face. She was shocked, and began to step back slowly towards the safety of the open door behind her, but was stopped by his hand. It was amazing how much control he had over her. He beckoned her back to him slowly with a wagging finger. Then, he motioned her down onto the chair beside his bed. 

"Nefret, do not fear me, I have no intention of harming you." His eyes were locked with hers. "I just wish to know you more."

She was still living off the after effects of the shock he had given her. "Why should I not fear you? You represent everything that I have fought hard to prevent and be... I wanted to be able to be strong and defensive, but I wanted to prevent violence. No one ever makes it easy for me..." The last was a mere sigh.

"You are strong, and you are defensive, at least as much as I have been able to witness." Ardeth mentally bit his lip, hoping this was coming out right.

"But, I don't understand how you can say that because mere moments ago I was weeping over you." Now that she mentioned this Ardeth did notice that her eyes were swollen and red.

"The ability to grieve does not make one weak, Nefret. And I do suppose that you were grieving." She gave a little chortle at that remark.

"I do not grieve." She said, lacking confidence. With the realization of her own words tears slipped out of her eyes. Ardeth then sat up and drew her into his weak arms.

"Nefret, do not be afraid, I love you." With this she let out a strangled cry and her tears began to flow more heavily.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) April 12, 2002  
**Due to the hot Egyptian climate, Evelyn was attired in a very light loose sandy brown skirt and top, they wanted to blend in, Olympus and Gabrielle were in the normal Egyptian attire, and Rick didn't really care what he wore, as long as it was pants and a shirt with holsters.

They made their way to the temple in the main square of Luxor.

* * *

"We'll do it tonight, then we will have total control over this damned world! It will be ours." Nephthys was excited and couldn't hold it in, she had been babbling about this all day ever since the boy was brought back with them. 

"You know this isn't as easy as it sounds. Now pay attention and I'll tell you what has to be done." He laid out a map of (as was known then) the solar system. He also laid out a map of Egypt.

"Tonight at precisely 2AM the full moon will reflect two streams of light, one will shine down here into the court yard, into the sacred lake, at the same time the other beam will come down into Khufu's pyramid through a vent shaft. When the light hits a mirror that was placed in the shaft it will reflect off of other carefully placed mirrors until it hits the sarcophagus." Seth pulled out another piece of papyrus which was a blueprint of the pyramid, it showed where the mirrors were, he traced with his finger the shaft in which the light would travel and where it would reflect from.

"At this time the boy has to be lowered into the sacred lake and drown. It will be your job to hold him under, as I read the incantation. Did you put the necklace on him?" Seth asked.

"Seti's?" Nephthys asked. "Yes it's on him, and he's in the cellar." She responded.

"Very well, why don't you bring him his last meal, and I'll make sure everything's in its place."

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) April 13, 2002  
**Hurt was the first word that came to Alex's mind as he sat in the musty old cellar. He knew his parents had a plan to save him, but he wasn't sure what they had in mind, and he was certainly not happy to be back in the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Lets go destroy the world and make it our own. He was clean and free of wounds, and since they had gotten back, Bonnie had been nice to him, though Alex knew it was all a front.

As he was about to try and get some sleep, he heard Bonnie enter. "Here you are, we brought you some steamed snake, and for desert Scorpion surprise," Bonnie said.

At that Alex just made a face. "You expect me to eat that?" he asked as he walked over to the table where she had set the tray.

It was difficult for her not to whip him again, but Seth had made it clear that she had to be nice to him, and Bonnie fought back to urge to bring harm to their young charge. "No, you may starve, though I think you might want to eat. It will be the last meal you will ever have. You see tonight when the moon shines down over the sacred waters, I will drown you, and your death will bring about the end of this world, and your world as well," she said with a smile. Then she left.

Being drowned was worse than dying by the bracelet, and Alex ran to the door pounding on it until his fists were raw and bloody. "I don't want to die," he said as he slumped against the door, realizing that he might very well do just that.

* * *

While Alex fretted over his fate, Evie, Rick, and the others made their way to Luxor to try and find a way to save their little boy. When they arrived at Luxor, Evie led them to the temple, and they easily slipped inside. It was the same temple they had been in not even a year ago, accept it was all new. 

Rick looked at his wife, sensing her excitement. "Evie exactly what do you hope to find?" he asked.

Seeing everything in such wonderful shape was a dream come true for Evelyn. She walked around the temple, able to read the inscriptions on the wall in full, and sighed, when someone called out.

"Halt," a voice said, and Evie and the others found themselves surrounded by Priests.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) April 14, 2002  
**The five of them stood back to back, looking at the impenetrable circle of priests. Rick, who was standing next to Evie, watched as two of the priests were talking.

"Evie, what are they saying?" Rick whispered.

"They are deciding what to do about us." Evie listened for a while more and spoke again as one of the priests left the group. "They are going to fetch the high priest and put the decision in his hands."

"Oh, well that's comforting. Let's hope the ol' chap is a friendly sort," Jonathan added in his usual sarcastic tone.

Gabrielle then joined in the conversation. "Does anybody have any bright ideas?"

"I have one that might just work." Evie continued.

Rick gave her a stern look. "Whatever you do, Evie, be careful. I don't think we can fight our way out of this one."

All conversation stopped when the double doors were thrown open. The priests faced the doors, and upon bowing down, Rick, Jonathan, and Evie gave a collective gasp at who walked in.

"Oh this just keeps getting better and better!" Rick whispered quite loudly.

"Keep your faces down towards the ground. He is not supposed to know of our existence for another few centuries." Evie instructed. "Do not make eye contact and trust me. I'm pretty sure this will work."

Evie kept her head held high and her eyes locked with the one that the priests referred to as 'my lord'. She had to play the part of a princess, and it was not easy. This man had a strong and intense gaze that would bring many men to their knees. The priests parted to let him through, and he stopped directly in front of her and studied her.

"Imhotep, my father's high priest," Evie said in his language making a small curtsy without breaking eye contact.

He looked at her skeptically. "Princess Nefertiri?" Upon hearing this, the priests murmured amongst themselves and took a closer look. They immediately dropped to the floor, bowing to her.

"Yes, it is I," she responded, lifting her chin a notch, daring him to question her identity.

"What are you doing without any guards and why have you changed your hair? I received a note from Pharaoh Seti on the day after you and he disappeared saying that the two of you left in the middle of the night and would not be returning for some time. What is wrong? Is there trouble? It is not like him to keep things from me." Imhotep looked around at the other people in her group with their eyes all downcast. "Who are these people?"

Evie had to think fast. "My father and I are in trouble, and these people have helped me and will continue doing so until all is well again."

Imhotep still wasn't completely convinced. "Forgive me Princess, but I must ask that you prove to me that you are in fact who you say you are. May I put you to a test? A challenge that the Princess would never deny."

Evie's courage faltered a little, but she did not let it show. "I will accept any challenge to prove myself."

Imhotep nodded and gave the priest next to him an order. "Go and fetch Princess Nefertiri's weapons instructor, Anck-su-namun. Have her bring the tridents."

Rick tensed and cursed under his breath while Jonathan mumbled "Oh, bloody hell". They did not understand the ancient Egyptian language, but they knew there would be trouble when they heard the name of Anck-su-namun.

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) April 16, 2002  
**Gabrielle had moved to the back of the room when Imhotep had entered. As Jonathan began to realize where she'd squirmed off to he recalled that she and Imhotep had given each other odd glances, and Gabrielle had also made a small noise in her throat when she'd seen him. Turning around Jonathan saw the uncomfortable look on Gabrielle's face, and walked over to her, frowning.

"What is it?" He asked.

Gabrielle looked as if she'd gotten the shudders for a moment and shook her head, "Nothing..."

But Jonathan wasn't ready to give up just yet. "That's it, come here." He said, taking her arm and pulling her behind a huge door into the hallway.

He looked into her deep brown eyes with question. "What is it?" He repeated.

"Imhotep." She tensed up again at her own voice saying his name. Looking down, "We have a bit of history."

"Oh boy."

Gabrielle nodded. "It was before he became a priest...I was young...fourteen probably. Imhotep was older, much older. This was all before I became somewhat of an outlaw, back when my parents were alive. They were very rich and our family was held in high regard. So...so was Imhotep's family." She started to shake a bit in anger as she remembered her past encounter with the priest. "One night I was..." She cleared her throat, obviously upset. "One night I was outside our home by the fountains....and....Imhotep....he....walked over and...forced me....to..."

The anger was so present in Gabrielle's eyes Jonathan couldn't help but stop her from talking. Seeing her that way scared him and he didn't know why. But all he knew was she needed to be comforted. So in an instant he had his arms around her and was pulling her to him shushing her.

"You don't have to say it Gabrielle. Don't think about it. I'm here now and I won't let him hurt you." It sounded so cheesy coming out of Jonathan's mouth, but he was more serious than he'd ever been in his life. He knew that against Imhotep he was no competition. But he also knew that the feeling he was having was none other than pure rage. He had to do something. Anything. Gabrielle didn't cry but he knew she wanted to. She just couldn't because she was too proud. But Jonathan had seen the look in her eyes, and he wasn't about to let Imhotep go unpunished for that.

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) April 16, 2002  
**In the damp dark confines of the cellar, Alex yelled for someone to help him. He didn't want to die, he had too much he wanted to do, and most of all he didn't want to die because he didn't want his parents to feel that sort of sadness. It was useless, he slunk over to the chair they had left for him and sat down trying to accept that he was going to die this time, and that there was not a thing that anyone could do to help him.

* * *

What Alex did not know was that he had been seen. A boy his age who oddly enough looked exactly like him had been wondering around in the dark prison of the palace, and had caught a glimpse of Alex. Adom came to the realization then that Elder Hesina had been correct about her vision. She had seen strangers that were not strangers come to their land to stop a great evil from destroying their world. Adom at the time had passed it off. Unlike the rest of the young boys in his village, and with them men, he didn't think she truly saw what she said. Now he knew the truth, and he raced out of the palace using the secret way known only to the most knowledgeable of the Med-jai, as well as to little boys who snuck around, and went to where he had hidden his horse. He mounted up, then road off in a hurry to go to the secret place where his Med-jai clan made their home. His father would be upset that he had snuck out in the dark of the night, but he was too worried to sit around and wait until morning. His mother and grandfather should have shown up at least two days ago and everything seemed calm at the palace, so it was obvious that something was up. The absence of the Pharaoh and his daughter without explanation would have caused a great commotion, and guards would be everywhere in search of them. Adom rushed back to tell his father, the leader of that particular Med-jai clan, what he had seen that night. Adom and his mother were the only two who would dare go against his father's wishes, for anyone else who ever dared to defy Osiris would be dead before they ever thought to defy him again. 


	10. Batch 10

Thanks and welcome back, zeusfluff! ) Here's the next batch…

**

* * *

Deana Lisi - April 17, 2002  
**"You love me?" Nefret said, hoping she hadn't heard wrong. "Truly?" 

Ardeth nodded, and tried to hide a wince at moving his head. "Truly."

He didn't succeed, for Nefret suddenly gasped and sat up, staring at him wide-eyed. "Are you all right?"

Ardeth sighed, trying not to show his pain. His jaw was throbbing, as was his head. He felt dizzy and his tongue hurt; he realized that he must've bit it when he hit the ground.

"I am all right," he lied. Suddenly he remembered what had occurred, and he looked around the room. "Where are the O'Connell's? Is Alex safe?"

Nefret sighed. "Alex was taken again, and the others went after him."

"Where?"

"Luxor."

"We must follow," Ardeth said, trying to stand.

"No!" Nefret put her hands against his chest, keeping him on the bed. "You are not fit to go anywhere! You were knocked unconscious, you need rest!"

Ardeth sighed. Typical, when they get into the thick of things, he gets hurt. "They may need my help."

"What can you possibly do to help, in your condition?" Nefret countered.

"I know much, about ancient Egyptian rituals. If they reach Alex too late, and the ritual has already begun…"

Nefret sighed. Ardeth had a point, but the man was hurt!

Ardeth again tried to rise, and this time she helped him, with a sigh.

He tried to stifle a groan when his head spun, as he sat on the side of the bed. Trying to ignore it, he slowly stood up.

Nefret watched him worriedly, as she held his arm in a death grip. "Ardeth?"

"I am fine," he said, knowing she didn't believe it. "Let us go."

Nefret shook her head as they slowly started to walk, and she frowned when she noticed him limping. "Ardeth, I do not think this is a good idea…"

"We must!" he told her, anger making his voice sound stronger. He sighed when she looked away. "I am sorry, Nefret." He stopped, and reached up a hand to brush his fingers against her cheek.

She closed her eyes, feeling goose bumps erupt along her skin. She opened them again and smiled.

Ardeth smiled back at her. "Now, let us go."

Nefret nodded, and they continued on their way.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) April 18, 2002  
**Evelyn knew what she was in for, and therefore prepared herself by first, speaking with her husband, whom she referred to as the chief guard, to Imhotep and the priests. "I know it's absurd, but I have to do this, we are outnumbered by their players and must therefore play by their rules." She was starting to get upset as Rick argued the point, and he noticed this sympathetically.

"I'm sorry," He would have hugged her, but there were eyes watching, and to them he was the guard. "Alright, go in there, do what you must, but if she lays her hands on you I will show no mercy!" He gave in, much to his wife's amusement.

"Alright, darling." She smiled.

Just then a priest came into the room and whispered something to Imhotep, "Alright, if you'll be so kind as to come with me, your highness, everyone is ready." With this, everyone followed the head priest through the corridors to the large room, where Evelyn had been before.

Rick, Jonathan, Olympus, and Gabrielle were led to the viewing end of the room and were made to sit on the steps. Evelyn took her place at the left hand side and was given her trident. Since this was not a major event, she was not made to wear a mask.

The doors threw open and a woman stepped through, all the priests bowed at her entrance, as did Evelyn (following the rules) Anck-su-namun gave her a glance, then took her weapon. The boy backed away, and Imhotep rose from the throne in the middle.

"This is a match to declare that the estranged Princess Nefertiri really is who she addresses herself as." He started, "By the rules of Seti I and the lands of Egypt, if she is unable to prove herself as the Pharaoh's daughter, I will be made to hold her prisoner until the Pharaoh himself gives word of her release."

Evelyn was distracted by the last bit of news and blanked out for a moment. She didn't hear the beginning order and was almost knocked out by the first blow.

**Krista - April 19, 2002  
**The battle was fast and furious. Anck-su-namun was barely giving Evie any leeway, hitting her every chance she got. The enemy knew to never give your opponent any advantage, no matter who they may be. Evie was holding her own, taking certain blows only when she couldn't defend herself. Already after five minutes of fighting, she had multiple tears on her clothing and skin, fortunately not being hit in the face. If she were to take a blow to the face, she would surely fall to her death…her real one.

"You battle well, Nefertiri…" Anck-su-namun said softly in her native tongue.

"Not so bad yourself, Anck-su-namun." Evie replied.

Anck-su-namun smirked and suddenly spun around and struck. Evie was unprepared for this move and was hit in the side, already drawing blood. Rick growled in frustration at Anck-su-namun's dirty ways of playing. He wanted to help her so badly, but alas, he couldn't. He was just another "guard" in the audience. All Rick could do now was watch and pray that she would stay alive.

'This was supposed to be a wonderful family vacation…' Rick thought miserably. 'Now I'm in ancient Egypt, watching my wife battle to possibly the death, my son about to be sacrificed, and me just standing here unable to do a damned thing!'

Meanwhile, as the fight raged, Evie managed to spot a flaw in Anck-su-namun's battle tactics. Without warning, Evelyn spun around and slammed the blunt end of her trident into Anck-su-namun's stomach. Rick was, to say the least, shocked at how well his wife was now fighting. As soon as Anck-su-namun was momentarily incapacitated, the princess knocked her to the floor so hard that it made Imhotep gasp out in surprise. Evelyn stood over Anck-su-namun, the sharpest tip of the trident slipped under her neck, daring the warrior female to move. Anck-su-namun stared at the trident, then at "Nefertiri". She then smirked and closed her eyes.

"You have defeated me, Princess Nefertiri." Anck-su-namun said softly.

Evelyn smiled as she was declared the victor. She offered a hand to help up her opponent, and Anck-su-namun took it. As Evie helped her to stand, she suddenly felt herself thrown to the ground harshly, hitting the wall as she slid along the surface. Rick growled.

"Jonathan, say something! I can't speak ancient Egyptian!" Rick snapped.

"Right, now let me see if I can remember…" Jonathan mumbled.

While her brother was trying to think, Evie stumbled to her feet and glared at Anck-su-namun. How dare she cheat before everyone! This was supposed to be a battle of honor, not a battle of cheaters. She eyed Anck-su-namun's hands. They were no longer holding the trident, but now they were holding a spear. Evie 'hmphed' softly under her breath and took a spear of her own from the wall. The battle would continue.

"What's she doing?!" Rick hissed to Jonathan.

"Err, it appears she's continuing the battle, old chap." Jonathan replied quietly.

"But she won!" Rick hissed again.

"Yes well what do you want me to do about it?" Jonathan replied timidly.

Rick narrowed his eyes in distaste at his brother in law, somewhat angry with him for not even truly helping. Then again, what could he do? Not much, frankly. The American sighed softly and continued watching his wife battle. But during this battle, something was amiss. He glanced about, getting an uneasy feeling in his chest. And then he saw Imhotep whispering to the guards and drawing a dagger from his priest's cloak…

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) April 20, 2002  
**Imhotep kept the dagger hidden in the folds of his cloak in the case that Nefertiri decided to finish off Anck-su-namun for daring to fight deceitfully. He watched as the battle raged on. He would have to speak with Anck-su-namun about this unacceptable behavior. Her hate for Seti and his daughter should not be made so apparent, for it could result in punishment and banishment, and quite possibly being sentenced to death. He thought back to the time when Anck-su-namun first revealed her feelings of hate towards the Pharaoh.

_It was very uncommon for a woman to not accept the ways of the world. Most women would have been extremely pleased to be chosen to become a pharaoh's wife, especially one as powerful and loved by the people as Seti, but Anck-su-namun had to be forced with threats of being disowned by the only man she ever loved at the time; her father. In a way, Imhotep was thankful that she had been chosen. It was her new status as pharaoh's mistress that had led to their meeting, otherwise, their paths would never have crossed. Seti trusted his High Priest and often asked that he watch over his daughter and teach her on many subjects, including the ways of medicine and how to discover and control the unique powers that all women of her family line were gifted with. After Seti had taken one look at his daughter's beautiful self-defense teacher, he had made arrangements to have her as his wife. He had asked that Imhotep also teach his mistress the ways of medicine. What Seti did not even think to consider was the possibility of his High Priest and new wife falling in love. Nobody knew of their affair, but Seti started to suspect that his wife was sharing the bed of another. So began Anck-su-namun's daily morning ritual of having body paint applied from head to toe by order of the Pharaoh._

Imhotep's full attention was back on the fight as Evie disarmed Anck-su-namun with a twist and twirl of her spear. It happened so fast that Anck-su-namun was taken by surprise. As soon as Evie tried to trip her and pin her with her spear, Anck-su-namun quickly sprang into a couple of back flip, and grabbed a sword from the wall. She began charging towards Evie, slashing the sword left and right, up and down, in very quick motions that showed her impressive skill. Evie was aware of the hate in Anck-su-namun's eyes and braced herself for the brutal attack. She held her spear in both hands and raised it to block the downward slash of the sword. The sword slashed through the spear handle as if it were nothing. Now the tables were turned. Evie was disarmed while Anck-su-namun came after her. Evie began to back up, concentrating on dodging the blade and getting another weapon to defend herself.

Jonathan and Olympus were near to having a nervous breakdown, while Gabrielle was itching to take on Anck-su-namun for her disgrace against honorable fighting. Rick was at his wits end. Evie had proven herself, but Anck-su-namun was going for the kill. He watched as Evie kept her eyes on Anck-su-namun, dodging blows and backing up. He noticed an obstacle in Evie's path and just as Evie was about to take the next step back, Rick jumped to his feet and yelled her name. "Evelyn!" Imhotep ignored this, thinking it was some word of caution in another language.

It was too late. Everything happened so fast. Evie stepped back onto the handle of Anck-su-namun's discarded spear and fell onto her back, knocking the wind out of herself. She looked up as Anck-su-namun stood with one leg on each side of her, and then she placed the blade next to the pulse of Evie's throat. Rick sagged back down into sitting position thinking the battle was over.

Anck-su-namun bent down, and in a whisper said, "Your father will be next." She stood back up holding the sword downward in both hands with the tip aimed at Evie's heart and raised it above her head, ready to make the final death blow. She would never forget the look of shock on Nefertiri's face. Everyone immediately stood up in shock and rage. Rick was about to charge as Anck-su-namun got ready to plunge the sword into Evie's heart, but both were stopped by a powerful voice.

"ENOUGH!" Imhotep yelled. "She has proven herself." Anck-su-namun froze. She had become so controlled by her emotions that she had forgotten they had an audience. The fight was officially over. She dropped the sword to her side and offered her hand, but was surprised as Evie kicked her leg to the side, causing Anck-su-namun to fall hard onto her backside. "_Damn that felt good,"_ Evie thought with a smile as she made her way back to Rick's side.

**Diamond - April 21, 2002  
**Rick started to take Evie into his arms but she gave him a look and he remembered, she wasn't Evelyn O'Connell here...she was Nefertiri, and a princess didn't embrace her guards after a fight. So Rick just smiled at his wife and patted her on the shoulder. But as they were exchanging loving looks, Imhotep was sitting next to the Pharaoh's throne, getting a clue.

He hadn't taken the time to look over the oddly dressed guards and the woman Nefertiri had come in with, but as the fight was nearing its end the sight of two of the people the princess had with her caught his eye. He knew he recognized the man, Olympus. He was a bookkeeper at the Library, Imhotep remembered. But the woman...who was she? So familiar were her facial expressions and the way her dark eyes sent arrows through his when they made eye contact, he knew he must have known her once.

Imhotep almost fell out of his chair when he remembered. Gabrielle had turned her head a certain way and he automatically recalled everything. No wonder she was looking at him like she had been. But what was she doing with Princess Nefertiri? And Olympus as well? Gabrielle had been banished from her family when she refused to marry Imhotep and no one had heard from her since. Word had it that she was friends with Olympus, so that explained their relationship, but how did they know the Princess?

But then a more disturbing thought came to the priest's mind. What if Gabrielle told someone what he had done to her? What would that do to his position as high priest? He was supposed to be pure and Gabrielle was living proof of otherwise. Something had to be done about her.

Imhotep was still deep in thought when Anck-su-namun was tripped by Nefertiri, and was still zoned when Anck-su-namun got up and walked to him with angry eyes. She was talking to him, but he wasn't paying attention.

"Imhotep...Imhotep!" She hissed.

When he didn't respond Anck-su-namun glared and stomped off from him.

He was still watching Gabrielle...the priests were now showing her and Olympus to their rooms, the two guards (Jonathan and Rick) of Nefertiri following. Something had to be done...anything.

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) April 21, 2002  
**Gabrielle was a bit sulky still, and was absolutely disgusted at sleeping in the same building as Imhotep was. The guards had shown them to their rooms and the only good thing that had come out of it was that the group agreed that Jonathan and Gabrielle should share a room. They'd decided that it was only logical that a 'guard' should stay in both rooms, and Nefertiri would be left alone with the bodyguard the palace had already for her (which, of course, put Rick on edge all night).

Jonathan had walked into the room after having a conference with Rick and Olympus and spotted Gabrielle sitting on the window sill staring out into the dimming sunset. He felt a flicker of hope in his heart, he'd always been the best at cheering Evie up...hopefully he could do the same for Gabrielle.

He started to say something, but was completely out of words....she looked so amazing in the sunset light...so he just walked over and kissed her on the cheek, startling her quite a bit.

She gasped, and looked up at him, trying to hide the teary ness in her eyes, "Oh...Horus, Jonathan you scared me."

Jonathan offered her a cute little smile and she had to smile back. It was amazing...she hardly knew him, but she felt like she'd known him all her life.

"I'm sorry about Imhotep...if I could...I'd-"

"Don't..." Gabrielle interrupted firmly, then smiled a bit, "I know."

He reached out to touch her cheek and was surprised when she backed away quickly. Jonathan frowned and tilted his head slightly to the side, he realized then that it was the first time they'd been alone in a room together, and that she was afraid of him.

The thought of her frightened of him made Jonathan's heart melt. He stared at her like he couldn't believe what was happening, "I won't hurt you Gabrielle."

She looked down and didn't respond, and this worried Jonathan even more. "Gabrielle I could never hurt you! You're the most amazing…" He put his hand on her cheek again, and she moved away again, trying not to look at him. His voice got very choked up, "I love you."

Gabrielle's breath caught and she looked at him with wide eyes, "You…you what?"

Jonathan took one of her hands and this time she didn't even flinch, he looked at her like she was crazy, smiling a little in his seriousness, "I love you Gabrielle."

She looked either dumbfounded or disbelieving, or both, but Jonathan was tired of waiting for her to respond and kissed her full on the lips. Surprisingly enough, she kissed him back and put her hands on his cheeks when he reached up for hers. Their kiss was very passionate and was growing even more when Jonathan picked her up off of the window sill and carried her to the bed.

When he laid her down there she broke the kiss and looked at him, Jonathan suddenly realized that this might not be the best time to be doing what he was planning on. "Oh…I'm sorry…" He started, but she started shaking her head the moment after he began speaking.

She smiled at him excitedly, like she had something urgent to tell him, "No…I just wanted to….I…I love you Jonathan." She blurted out. They exchanged smiles and Gabrielle put her hand on the nape of his neck and pulled him down to her kissing him again.


	11. Batch 11

**Krista - April 22, 2002  
**Rick paced back and forth in his room silently. Back and forth, back and forth the American paced. Olympus watched quietly as the man moved about the room in mute anger. Olympus understood the other man's situation. Here he was, unable to be with his wife, and his son was going to become a human sacrifice. He himself wondered if they would reclaim the American man's son. The sands of time were running quickly, and if they were too late, then they would surely be in great peril. Olympus frowned at the thought of sacrificing the boy for dominance. Such a thing was not acceptable. Seth and Nephthys could not win this battle...no, Olympus would not allow it. He couldn't...

"I need to see her."

Olympus looked up to see Rick make his way to the door. But in a shot, Olympus was blocking the door from the American. Rick growled low at the man who dared to stop him.

"Out of my way, Olympus. I need to see my wife" Rick spat. Olympus remained where he was.

"I cannot allow you to risk it, my friend. The chances of you not being discovered or worse are slim. I suggest you just remain where you are until the time is right." Olympus said in a low voice.

"Why can't we just go now? We could knock the guards down easily and most everyone is already down for the night anyway" Rick snapped.

Olympus shook his head. "Fool, the guards are on their toes at all hours, even at the evening's call. We must do this properly and organized, not going about and beating our enemies to dust."

Rick sighed softly to himself. He knew Olympus was right. They needed to wait a little while longer. However, time wasn't on their side ever. They had to get to Alex before the designated time or else his only son would perish at evil's hands. Suddenly Rick found himself at the window, the soft desert breeze caressing his face. His mind wandered back to the first time he ever brought Alex to Egypt with Evelyn...

* * *

_"Dad! Look at all this sand! There's enough here to make over a million hourglasses" Alex said excitedly. _

_Rick smiled and scooped him into his arms. The boy was only about 6, and already he had a love for Ancient Egypt like his mother. And like his father, Alex was excited about the chance of an adventure. He covered his eyes as a breeze blew in some sand towards his face._

_"Dad" Alex whined. "The sand is getting in my eyes! And in my mouth"_

_Rick's smile widened as he placed a small version of his own desert headgear on his son's head. Alex poked at it a bit, wondering if it would really work. When he discovered it did, Alex grinned and ran about excitedly, searching for hidden treasures that would possibly lay beneath._

_"Alex, go slowly" Evie called out to her son._

_"Yes mum" Alex chimed._

_As the day had worn on, Evie and Rick digging about in ancient ruins and letting Alex touch different artifacts (the ones that wouldn't crumble to the touch, that is), they had all settled at their camp and were gradually settling down for sleep. Rick had maintained late night watch, cautious to make sure that no mummies were resurrected again. Especially if his six year old was around. Evelyn was fast asleep, along with Alex by her side asleep as  
well._

_"Dad"_

_Rick looked down at Alex, who stood in front of him holding a book about half his size. He clutched it to his chest, making careful sure not to drop it or let it fall near the fire. Rick tipped his head curiously at his son. So much for being asleep._

_"What is it, little guy"_

_Alex held up the book to his father. Rick recognized it as the one Evie read every night before bedtime. The story of a boy who was best friends with a camel and traveled the desert seeking adventures. It was a random storybook, not quite famous by literary standards, but it was Alex's favorite because it reminded both him and Rick of Alex._

_"How come you're still awake" Rick wondered._

_"Couldn't sleep. You're not asleep neither. I'll keep guard with you. We'll fight the bad guys together if they come. 'Til then, can you read to me"_

_"Okay, bud. Come on up on my lap." Rick said, patting his thigh. He loved his son's innocence._

_Alex grinned with delight and wriggled onto his Daddy's lap, leaning back against his father's broad chest. Rick opened the book to the first page, where they always began, no matter where they ended the story. It was always best to start from the beginning to Alex. Never leave something stale, be it food, gossip, or a bedtime story._

_"Once upon a time, there was a boy who lived in the desert with a camel for his friend. The camel and the boy loved adventures. When the sun was shining, the camel and the boy would travel in the direction of the wind. They would search for many treasures and battle against many foes. When the moon was above the desert sand, the boy and the camel would sleep side by side, keeping the other warm in the cool of the sand." Rick read softly._

_Alex listened intently, watching his father flip the pages and stare at the little illustrations every few pages would have. Soon, however, Alex found himself growing sleepy. He hid his yawns rather sloppily, trying to outwit his father into thinking he wasn't tired. Rick merely smiled and continued reading until the end, when Alex was fast asleep in his arms, and the book was at its final page._

_"And as the boy and the camel walked through the desert, they looked at the setting sun before them. Like the rise and fall of the sun, their friendship and caring for each other would be an eternal cycle. The end.." Rick whispered, closing the book._

_He cradled Alex in his arms and carried him to the set of beds. Tucking his son in gently, Rick settled in beside him, closing his eyes. Evie lay on his left, and Alex at his right. Suddenly, he felt himself being smushed together like a sandwich. He opened his eyes to see Alex burrowed under his arm and Evelyn against his shoulder. Both were still asleep and both were content in where they were. Rick smiled. He hoped this would stay like the boy and the camel...an eternal cycle of love and of caring..._

_

* * *

_Rick closed his eyes, feeling moisture slide down one side of his face as the breeze carried it away. He knew it was now time to make the escape as Olympus called for him. Glancing out once more at the night sky, he let out a sigh and wiped away the traces of any disintegration of his masculinity. He had to be the strong one. 

'Don't worry Alex. I'm coming for you...I'm not going to let our cycle end so soon...'

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) April 22, 2002  
**Adom quietly snuck back into his village. He knew that he could just go to his bed and nobody would ever know he was gone, but by morning, it would be too late for his people and the entire world. He tiptoed into his father's room and asked Allah for guidance in convincing his father that he had done the right thing by sneaking off.

"Where have you been?" Osiris asked of his son. Adom jumped, not expecting his father to be awake. His father looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep lately. His shoulder length black hair, much like Ardeth's, was a bit tousled, and his face, identical to that of Rick O'Connell's but darker in coloring, showed dark circled under the eyes and a slight hollow in the cheeks due to his lack of appetite during his recovery from near death. It was obvious he had been worrying. Not just about Adom's disappearance, but also from the fact that Nefertiri and her father hadn't shown up and no message had been sent. They always arrived the same day each month, unless a message from Nefertiri said otherwise.

"Father, I'm sorry I disobeyed you, but I knew something was wrong. I went to the palace and now I am sure of it. I was as quiet and skilled as a real Med-jai warrior, father. Seth and his woman are wandering the lower dungeon level of the palace freely and he spoke of taking control of all the world by sacrificing a boy." He went on to describe everything he heard. "I went in search of this boy they spoke of and found him locked in one of the cells. It was the strange father. This boy looked almost exactly like me."

Osiris knew what dark magic ritual Seth was planning on performing. He also knew that Seth was behind the disappearance of his love and her father. He ruffled his son's hair, which had the same silky touch as Nefertiri's.

"I am proud of you, my son. You will make a great Med-jai leader some day. Come. We must wake the others and prepare, for time is running short."

* * *

Rick was about to turn away from the window when a glint caught his eye. He looked down at the courtyard and his eyes came to rest on the lake. Immediately, his eyes glazed over and he grabbed on to the window sill to ride out another vision. 

"O'Connell!" Olympus yelled while trying to shake Rick out of his trance. Finally after almost two minutes, Rick shook his head and turned his back to the window.

"Damn it! I hate it when that happens." He frowned and mentally went through everything he had seen. A ritual being performed by Seth... Beams of light; one hitting the lake, the other a pyramid… Mirrors… A sarcophagus... and Alex being held under the lake by Nephthys until all breath left his body. "Shit. We've got to get everyone together, NOW! We don't have much time. Find a way to distract the guards in front of Evie's room while I collect Jonathan and Gabrielle and then I'm going to get my wife out of there, guards or no guards!"

* * *

For all of his experience, Jonathan was as nervous as a young inexperience lad. He loved Gabrielle and wanted her so badly, but he paced himself. He wanted to make it perfect for her, as well as for himself. They lay on the bed, Jonathan half on top of Gabrielle, as their breathing became more ragged. Gabrielle's eyes opened wide and she gasped as she felt Jonathan's hand on her bare stomach. Her mind had been so clouded with passion from their heated kisses that she did not even realize he had gotten her thin desert garb blouse untucked from her thin flowing skirt. 

"Don't be afraid, my love," he whispered in her ear. "I would never hurt you." He looked her in the eyes. "Know that you may tell me to stop at any time, and I will."

Gabrielle saw the love in his eyes and gave him a small smile. He gently lowered his head and began kissing her once again. As soon as she began kissing him back, she felt his hand move upward. She was once again lost in a cloud of passion as his hands seemed to know exactly where and how to touch her.

Jonathan's head snapped up and he looked towards the door as he heard someone clear their throat for the third time. He promptly removed his hand from under Gabrielle's shirt.

"Bloody hell, O'Connell. You have a gift for bad timing," Jonathan said in an extremely annoyed tone.

Just then, part of the wall in the back corner of the room opened and in walked Evie and Olympus from what appeared to be a secret passage. Evie remembered the secret passages of the palace from her past life as Nefertiri.

"Jonathan!" Evie gasped with her hand to her chest as she saw her brother on top of Gabrielle in the bed. Gabrielle was mortified to be found in this position and in a quick catlike movement, she half pushed, half kicked Jonathan off of her so she could compose herself. Unfortunately, they had been near the edge of the bed, which resulted in Jonathan letting out a loud yelp as he landed on the hard ground.

"Serves you right!" Evie lectured. "You know better than to take advantage of an innocent girl."

**Diamond - April 23, 2002  
**Olympus leaned on the doorway of the secret passage that he and Evelyn came through looking not at all bothered at the sight before him. Gabrielle had scurried off the bed and was now smoothing her skirt, tucking in her blouse, trying to smooth her hair and catch her breath all at the same time. Olympus quickly looked the other way when Gabrielle saw him looking at her. His eyes instead darted in Jonathan's direction and he watched the Englishman as he got up of the floor painfully. What ever did she see in this pansy? It was apparent that Olympus was more of a man that Jonathan and at least in his own opinion, Olympus was much better looking. He had never understood why Gabrielle wouldn't have him, God knows he'd asked for her hand more times than he could keep track of.

"Oh right Evie, like I never walked in on you and O'Connell…" Grumble, grumble… "Don't you people know how to knock" Jonathan scoffed as he got to his feet.

Olympus felt his teeth grinding together as he watched the laughter in Gabrielle's eyes. She looked at Jonathan and offered him a smile. When they'd first gotten caught like they were Olympus could tell she had been horrified. Gabrielle had always been very careful of appearing weak to anyone and being caught in a man's arms was a sign that it was possible to get even her in such weak a position.

But she had been weak in his arms. She wanted him to take full control over her and she knew he wanted to. After she assured herself that she looked strong and in control of her own emotions (instead of letting Jon's lips tell her how to feel) she was able to find the whole situation quite hilarious.

Rick wasn't in the mood for waiting around. He was nothing short of antsy and finding two people so close to doing 'the deed' was something that he'd actually witnessed before, so it was nothing new to him. It was a bit surprising that Jonathan was scoring…and it almost made him a bit jealous…and sad that Evelyn and he weren't able to do the same thing.

But he didn't need this now! He had to go get Alex"We don't have much time! Jonathan button up your shirt. (at this point Jonathan was noticing that Gabrielle had actually unbuttoned a few of the top buttons on his shirt, and he was beaming with pride) Let's go! Olympus shut the trap door! C'mon c'mon our son is in DANGER Evelyn, could you move a little SLOWER please?"

* * *

They had made it out of the palace easily enough, with bruises not bad enough to fret over from 'taking care' of the guards. When O'Connell had spotted where Seth had been performing the ritual from his window he didn't notice that the gardens around the lake were fenced in on all sides. They reached the gate to the lake gardens and found it (surprise, surprise) locked. 

"Now what do we do" Evelyn asked in exasperation.

Gabrielle pushed Jonathan and Olympus aside"Alright boys let the thief do her job." She said, voice full of pride. Out of the pouch at her belt she produced a few picks and jabbed them into the locks with expert skill.

As she worked with the locks she turned her head around"It'll be just a second ladies.." She told the other's coolly.

"That's my girl." Jonathan said with a smile.

In a few seconds the lock gave a 'click' and Gabrielle pulled it off and tossed it on the floor. She stuck the picks back in her pouch and turned to the group with a smile. "How's that for lock picking eh"

Rick gave her a pat on the back, clearly impressed but time was too precious to give her proper praise. "Alright, Jonathan, I think it would be best if you stayed out here, kept watch for us huh."

"Gladly." Jonathan replied, happy to be away from the primary source of danger.

Rick looked at Gabrielle"We might need you out here in case he gets killed…"

Gabrielle nodded. "Good luck." She told them, smiling at Evelyn and Rick.

They nodded back and ran through the gate, Olympus following after whispering a "stay alive" to Gabrielle.

"I suppose I do have a bit of luck in me…they always ask me to stay out here where none of the action happens…so my chances of getting killed are just a trifle smaller." Jonathan beamed.

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow "Just wait Jonathan…you'll get your action." She told him, with a sly half smile.

**Marion (****pen name GiantPygmyGirl****) April 25, 2002  
**Before they left the house Nefret made sure to get some water for Ardeth and herself, as well as some herbs which she had found in a cabinet in Gabrielle's home. The herbs would be to ease the pain of Ardeth's cuts. She also took a leaf from a succulent aloe plant outside, knowing that Ardeth had burns that she had not been able to administer to.

Nefret was shocked at her own willingness to give in to Ardeth's emotions. Now she stood in the doorway of the hut, debating whether or not they really should go to the rescue. She knew that Ardeth was a stubborn man, that much she had seen from the little time that she had gotten to know him. But still she was angry with herself for easily letting him persuade her to rest her cheek in his hand, to let him kiss her. All of this she had never dreamed of, but she could not get over how he made her feel. From the moment she had laid eyes on him she had noticed everything, his eyes, his hair, his lips, you name it. Just glancing at him made her blood run faster and her heart grow louder. She was brought swiftly out of thought by his voice.

"Nefret, waste no more time, we must go." The words rolled easily off his tongue, and she fell in love with his voice. _There is no time for this. There are lives to save! _She thought to herself.

"I am coming, I just had to get some supplies."

As she approached him and they began to move forward she noticed his limp again, becoming more concerned with his welfare she once more asked him if he was fit to travel. His answer was "Yes, I am fine for the time being, now let us move."

"Damn it Ardeth, no you aren't! You can't hide from me under your tough skin, as much as you don't want to know and will not admit I can see what's wrong, you are injured, let us stop now"

"**_I_** am hiding" Disbelief riddled his features. "Really Nefret, say that with a straight face. I am not the one hiding here. All you do is hide from me, from other people, I can not help you come into the light, you must do that for yourself. I can guide you, but I can not physically drag you into life, that is something that only **you** can do."

Her face turned scarlet with anger and Ardeth began to notice the seething fury that built up inside her. He could see this all through her eyes. _Eyes, he had learned early on, would make and break a person. _

Looking him straight in the eyes Nefret began to yell. "You know what? You have no idea why I am the way that I am. I do not try to cave in on myself. It happens because everyone else seems to launch themselves at me" By this time tears had once again formed in Nefret's dark eyes. Ardeth could hear the distress in her voice and began to think that maybe he shouldn't have brought up the subject, but then immediately changed his mind as he realized it would come out sometime, and that now was as good a time as any.

"Well, while we are on this subject, why are you the way that you are"

His voice was calming, but still she found herself saying"You would not understand." She averted her eyes, turning her head away from him as she did so.

Her words were like a blow to Ardeth. He took a sharp intake of air to his lungs as he tried to control his fury. "Nefret" he choked out"do you think that I do not care about you? Because, if you do, then you are an insensitive human being. Do you know how hard it is for me to be feeling this way? I am not supposed to, I am a Med-Jai, protector over all that is good. Nefret, do you hear me, I am not allowed to love, but yet I love you because I sense that you are different, that you are unique and that you are mature. But now I am not so sure. If we can not even discuss the little things in life that trifle us then how do you expect this relationship to work? Allah works in mysterious ways, and we must learn to embrace him, and get as much from him as we can, all the while giving back. You are not giving back."

She turned from him then, biting her fist to keep from crying out. She did nothing to stop the tears from coming, her shoulders sagging as she stood shaking in fury and sadness.

He did not feel sorry for afflicting her with so much pain, she deserved it for how she was acting. He had thought that she needed to be opened up to the real world where everything didn't just revolve around her. He bit back these words because he still did not know the full extent of her life. What she said next made him wish he could take back everything that he had just thought and said.

"Ardeth, do you know what it's like to have a sibling slain before you? Do you even know how it feels to know that you could have done something but did nothing to prevent it, not even if you tried? She was so innocent, not even four. She had so much promise; she was gorgeous. She never had the chance to live, to experience life. The way she died, my father to this day will not speak of it. But I will and maybe in so doing I will put her little soul to rest."

Ardeth whispered, keeping his distance"Go on, I am listening."

"I was barely ten, just a little girl really. It was two days after my coming of age ceremony that they came. We still to this day do not know who they were and why. It was quarter past ten when they attacked. We were all sitting around the table playing a game. I had a premonition and reached for my father's scimitar, which always hung by the cupboard in its sheath. My family all looked at me, wondering what on earth was happening but then they heard it, the distant warbling, the common noise of attack. My mother and siblings rushed to the opposite end of the house while my father searched for a weapon. I would not let him have his scimitar insisting that I knew how to use it. Even though still to this day this puzzles me seeing that I had had no previous experience with weaponry beforehand. When they broke through the door I was ready. I slew three of them before one escaped beyond my reach running straight for my little sister Asyria, who had, unknowingly to me, come into the eating room screaming for me. I watched, shocked as he lunged forwards thrusting his sword straight through her. She let out a bloodcurdling scream before he ripped the sword from her, a grinding sort of gyrating noise followed. I ran to her side as she took her last breath, holding her hand, reassuring her that she was going to a better place and that one day I would be there with her. Before she faded she told me that she loved me, as well as our family. It broke my heart, but I rose to the occasion fighting and killing the remaining attackers. The murderer of my sister escaped however, and I am sure is living right now. I have never stopped blaming myself for her death. But I swear that if I ever meet that man that took her from me I will torture him like there's no tomorrow. He will die wishing he had never lived." She said the last with indignation, her eyes flaring with demonic fury.

Ardeth reached out his hand, brushing her tears away. "Her death will be avenged, I promise Nefret."

* * *

Asyria gazed down upon her sister smiling her sweet angelic smile. "You saved me Neffie, I am no longer alone, you are with me now, I love you." And with that the little dark haired girl leapt up into the shining stars, disappearing from sight instantaneously. 


	12. Batch 12

**Krista - April 26, 2002  
**As Jonathan and Gabrielle remained on one side of the gate, the others continued forth in the rescue of Alex. As Evelyn and Olympus silently walked, Rick watched his wife quietly from behind. She was still somewhat covered in blood by her battle with Anck-su-namun. He frowned, thinking to himself how some of the wounds would get infected. Then he frowned again as he thought of holding Alex, who was worse than his mother's present state. Glancing down at his hands, Rick realized for the first time that his hands were covered in a light coat of dirt and possibly his son's blood.

'How long have my hands been like this?' He wondered.

Evelyn glanced over her shoulder at Rick, sensing him slowing down. She thought it odd immediately, since he was the first to want to go after Alex immediately. Now suddenly, a man with such amazing strength and stamina was slowing down? That merely meant that he was troubled...

"Rick..." Evelyn said softly.

He glanced up at his wife upon hearing his name. His eyes were dulled with sorrow and yet they shimmered with anger and self-loathing. Rick closed his opened hands and slid them against his sides, as if to hide what he had on his hands. Evie slowed a bit to stand beside him, and tipped her head as if to ask what was wrong, despite she knew already.

"Don't worry, we'll get Alex back. You said so yourself. If anything, I'm the one who should be worried. After all, I always am." Evie said, putting an arm around Rick's waist.

Rick sighed. "It's not just that Evie..." he said as he opened a hand and put it in front of himself. "I've just realized what a monster I've been..."

Evelyn blinked. "A monster, Rick"

Rick nodded. "My hands are coated in blood and dirt. And it's not even my own. It's Alex's...it's yours...God, I feel like a murderer. Hell, if you count my time in the Foreign Legion, I AM one..."

"Ohh, Rick you're not a monster. You did what you had to in the Legion to stay alive! And as for the blood of Alex and I being on your hands...well..." Evie paused to think of a way to phrase what she was about to say. "The blood of our son is not only my blood, but your blood as well. Don't think of his blood being shed on your hands as your fault...you're his father, Rick O'Connell. You and I both know no harm would ever be caused by us onto him. If anything..."

Rick glanced at her when he realized she stopped. "If anything"

"If anything, I think that represents Alex's strength. Our son is in a very troublesome situation, and could be killed... yet when he was with us, he knew he had to be brave...for you and for myself. Perhaps Alex's blood on your hands is meant to remind you to be strong. To remember why you're fighting..." Evie said quietly, taking Rick's hand into her own.

Rick looked at her, gazing into her soft and gentle eyes. "And what about your blood"

She smiled. "My blood? Maybe it's the blood of Egypt... meant to remind you of who you are. Not a monster, but a great and wonderful man. And also who you are defending. After all, Mr. O'Connell, what's a life without love? From what I was told as a girl, monsters do not love or are loved."

Rick couldn't help but smirk. "Evie, even in the most horrible of situations you somehow manage to be philosophical. I dunno how you do it."

Evie smiled faintly. "Talent. Now then...are you ready to defeat evil once again and rescue our child"

Rick himself smiled this time. "Do you think I would deny you the pleasure of watching me battle again"

"Never."

"I should hope not."

"My friends" Olympus called quietly. "We must move quicker than this, the time is growing shorter"

Rick nodded and began to quicken the pace, grabbing Evie's hand as he dashed into a jog. Evie kept up the pace as well, watching the back of her husband silently. She smiled at Rick's renewed valor. It was times like these she was glad she married the adventurous American man. It, in turn, gave her a renewed sense of valor. No longer was she the meek, feminine Evelyn whose glasses were firmly planted at the end of her nose. She was now the wife of an adventurer, a thrill-seeker, a gun-toting, terrible grammar using American. And a cute one to boot...

"Come on Evie, faster, we've got to stop the ritual." Rick called.

"I'm coming as fast as I can! I"

Evie was suddenly interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream. The trio stopped short and gazed in the direction of the scream. Only one person could make such a horrified scream that it would reach the distance they were at.

"Jonathan" Evie and Rick gasped in unison.

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) April 27, 2002  
**It had all happened so fast. One minute they had been teasing each other playfully the next...it was all over. Jonathan sat down as soon as Rick and Evelyn were out of sight to avoid any of Rick's 'lazy ass' comments. He was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed when he heard Gabrielle laughing softly to herself.

"What is so bloody funny" Jonathan asked, opening one eye.

Gabrielle tilted her head slightly to glance at him"I'm just thinking of what you said...earlier when we were...you know."

"And what was that, pray tell"

Pushing away her smile, Gabrielle acquired a dramatic facial expression, doing a very good impression of the passionate Jonathan"Do not be afraid my love..." She mocked"Know that you may tell me to stop at anytime and I will."

Seeing his face after he turned bright red with embarrassment made Gabrielle start laughing again, which was exactly what she had been doing when an arrow zipped strait past her head and into a nearby tree trunk. Jonathan screamed and jumped to his feet, but Gabrielle was already engaged in heavy battle with the guards, sent to kill her by Imhotep.

Gabrielle crouched down to pull the sais that she had tucked in scabbards in her boots out and immediately was whipping them around, slashing at the guards with lovely grace. She added to her already fierce fighting skills a few wild kicks and punches that landed in all the right spots (head, groin, foot...you know.) And did all this while still keeping an eye on Jonathan...

...who had realized that he didn't have anything to fight with, snapped off a tree branch and started swinging at everything he could, actually getting lucky a few times and hitting something. He took care of few of the guards, while Gabrielle took out well over half. The fight was finally dying down when Imhotep, accompanied by several guards walked up out of the fog. (Yeah I know, random fog, but there's always got to be some fog in a battle scene).

Gabrielle looked at the priest with eyes blazing with fury. "Imhotep." She breathed angrily, and in an unthinking moment of hate and rage she charged him, twirling her sais and letting out a tremendous yell.

He waited a moment before he reacted. She slashed his face with her sais, making a deep cut in his right cheek, and as soon as the blood came to the surface, out of nowhere, so it seemed, Imhotep drew his sword and thrust it into the thief girl's stomach.

"Gabrielle" Jonathan yelled, after it was too late. He watched her fall to her knees in front of Imhotep, watched the content smirk on the high priest's face, and watched him turn right around (along with his guards) and walk away like the coward he was.

It took Jonathan what seemed like years to get the feeling back in his body. He couldn't move for a moment. He just looked at her, Gabrielle, the one woman he'd ever really cared for, lying there with blood pouring from her wound, not able to move. It had really taken him about five seconds to get to her side, but he always remembered it taking much longer than that.

"Gabrielle..." He whimpered helplessly. She was still alive, her eyes were open and her breathing scattered and rough. Jonathan took her head in his lap and whisked her dark hair back from her pretty face. How could she look so beautiful...even now...when her end was so near? Jonathan tried so hard to smile, to let her know that she was going to be okay, and that he wouldn't let her die, but he was too shocked and frightened to even begin to smile.

But she did it for him. She smiled at him and reached her hand up to touch his face. She wiped some of the dirt from his cheek and smiled. "Jonathan..."

The controlling mood kicked in"No Gabs, don't talk...please don't talk..." He said, trying to be strong and sound strong.

"I love you." She told him, her eyes now glistening with nearly forming tears.

Jonathan's brow crinkled and he could feel himself starting to break down from the inside. This is it, he told himself, this is the last thing I'm ever going to be able to say to her. "I l-love you t-too Gabrielle." He sniffed, tears coming fast to his eyes. "Please don't leave me."

He heard footsteps shuffle behind him and a woman gasp. He looked up to see Ardeth and Nefret looking down at him.

**Deana Lisi - April 27, 2002  
**Ardeth had never before seen such anguish in Jonathan's face. He sighed, as the stricken man turned back to the dying woman, whose eyes were now closed.

Jonathan gathered Gabrielle into his lap, and sat rocking her. "Gabrielle…" he moaned. "Gabrielle…"

Nefret looked at Ardeth, with tears in her eyes. She saw the compassion in his face, and he looked at her, neither of them speaking.

Suddenly they heard footsteps, and turned to see Rick, Evie, and a stranger running towards them.

Evie gasped when she saw what had happened. "Jonathan!" she cried. "Who…"

"It was the creature," said Ardeth, before realizing that the priest was a mortal man at present, and, as such, had a name. "Imhotep."

Evie crouched next to her brother, who was silently cradling Gabrielle, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait a minute," Rick suddenly said, "How did you two get here? Last time we saw you, Ardeth, you were unconscious."

"I could not lie in bed while you may require my help," Ardeth told him.

Evie gasped, the situation having made her momentarily forget the injuries their Med-jai friend had received. "Are you all right?" she asked, having known Ardeth long enough to see that he didn't look as healthy as he was trying to appear. "Should you even be here?"

Ardeth sighed, knowing that Evie could obviously see through the 'mask' he'd put on, so that they wouldn't be able to tell that his head was splitting, his leg was aching, and it hurt to talk. "I am fine," he lied.

Suddenly the stranger spoke, for the first time since entering the scene. "We can not waste any more time!" he cried, impatiently. "We must hurry!"

Evie tried to pull Jonathan up, but he didn't move, clutching Gabrielle tighter. "No!" he said.

"Jonathan…" said Evie. "We have to prevent the ritual…we don't have much time…"

Jonathan was shaking his head, Evie's words obviously not sinking in. "I won't leave her! I won't!"

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) April 29, 2002  
**Evelyn has slippers on but kicked them behind a statue as she, Rick, and Olympus entered the 'sacred lake' fenced in area. She didn't want to make noise and moved as quietly as a cat as on the other hand her husband trudged in with good heavy 'running' boots on.

Olympus and Ardeth went their own ways around the perimeter where in the middle of the large area you could see all being done. Nefret had stayed back with Jonathan to comfort him. Both Rick and Evie's hearts sank as they saw the woman known to them as Bonnie bring a half starved and very gaunt looking Alex out toward the pool of water. "Oh hold me back Rick." Evelyn warned as she sneered at the woman.

"Shhhh." Rick replied as he held out an arm in front of her, just in case. "We need to take them by surprise...but we all need to be ready ourselves." He breathed to her as he lowered his head toward hers.

Alex was in shackles, attached to his wrists and ankles, they all connected with a long chain that dragged on the ground and caused him to trip a couple times. "Speed up boy, we only have a couple minutes" Nephthys snapped as she grabbed the back of his neck and pinched, hard.

Evelyn heard her son's cry of pain, the back of the neck had been a main target with the whip, and now that it was tender, very tender; Nephthys used it as a means of getting her way. Rick felt his wife tense up at the sound and got a better grip on her, when he saw Olympus positioned across the area, he knew they had to get going.

When Olympus and Ardeth disappeared into an opening in the wall, Rick realized that there was something else going on other then what played out in front of them. Therefore leaving just Rick and Evelyn to do this themselves. "Alright, honey, here's your chance, I'll go after the guy reading the scripts. You get your wench." Rick reluctantly allowed.

Evelyn nodded. "It would be a pleasure." She announced, then without warning, left her husband's grasp. He caught up to her, however, and pulled her back to the wall.

"Not yet" Wait a moment, see if Olympus and Ardeth come back out."

* * *

Alex sped up his walk when he was pinched in the back of the neck. Now he was lead to the edge of a huge deep pool, just as the worse of his fears came to him he was suddenly pushed in.

He only had on a thin cloth around his waist, therefore no heavy clothing was keeping him under, but the chains were very awkward and sort of heavy, therefore treading water was a struggle.

In between being pulled under the water, he heard Seth start to chant out something in Egyptian, as he started this, Nephthys took the stairs into the water. The stairway stuck about three feet out from the corner it was in, so she stood on one of the lower steps getting in the water to about her waist. She then took hold of Alex beside her, where he couldn't touch bottom.

When Seth started to repeat one line, she did the deed and pushed Alex under, holding his hair and the back of his neck directly under about a half a foot.

**Marion (****pen name GiantPygmyGirl****) April 30, 2002  
**Nefret stayed with Jonathan, calming him. It was something she had had a lot of experience with in her life. Her parents had been devastated with her sister's death, and she had had to cope with their sorrow as well as her own. Right now she was hugging the sobbing man, her intentions were just to comfort him, nothing more. She let him cry into her shoulder, not really understanding what he was saying for she had never heard his language before. When they had been traveling together she had relied solely on Ardeth's translation and now she wished that she could understand what Jonathan was saying.

But, before she even had a chance to worry about what he was saying she heard rustling behind her. Quickly, in one stealth-like movement she unsheathed her scimitar and drew it, shocking Jonathan in the meantime. She turned around very quickly, facing the direction that the noise had come from, battle stance assumed. Her eyes took in everything despite the darkness surrounding her. Her heightened senses allowed her to witness things that other people weren't entitled to, and right now she was very thankful for them.

Just then her fears were confirmed as Seth jumped out of the bushes in front of her.

"Well, well pretty little girl, what have we here? I see your comrade is very upset..." Seth began to laugh. "What did you do to get him to embrace you so...? Did you rape him too like you did your little Med-Jai"

The anger that surged forth from Nefret at that instant was tremendous. She could feel it controlling her emotions, even her actions, but she forced herself to remain calm. Gradually the ferocious grip that she had held her weapon with relaxed. She said nothing.

"Well, we didn't succeed in killing the boy, but soon his mother will die, for Nephthys is killing her as we speak" The glimmer in his eye was apparent.

Nefret breathed a sigh of relief that Alex whom she had heard Ardeth talk so much about had not been murdered. Seth noticed and was very quick to respond.

"You know, ever since I took your sister away from you fifteen years ago, I have dreamed of this day. The day that the whole world will come under my control all of Egypt will be mine and I can watch you die beneath my blade like you should have so long ago." With that Seth drew his own sword mocking Nefret's rigid stance. "You won't be able to do it you know. You can't kill me, because a part of her lives in me, I touched her and in that simple touch that took the life away from her she became mine like you soon will be."

"You are wrong! Nothing as pure as my sister could live in something as foul and bastardly as you! You are a liar, a murderer and worst of all a dead man" With that Nefret plunged her Scimitar towards her enemy, striking right below his sternum. She thrust slightly down, making a small incision. Seth leapt backwards, his free hand automatically going to the gash that she had created. His light desert tunic was instantly torn, red blood spilling forth. He gasped in pain, knowing that the worst was yet to come. "My sister..." Nefret said through clenched teeth as she circled up again, gathering strength for a new attack. "is not dead, and she never will be. You took the life away from her but you did not take her soul. As long as I am alive she will live on. When you die you will be dead, completely; no one will remember you, not even I. Your soul will be condemned to an eternity in Hell! Yah" With this Nefret parried her way towards Seth who was backing up against the bushes, her face was lit with fury. Seth's strength was already dissipating and she could feel that from his pathetic swings and blocks.

Seth had finally backed himself up against a bush, the hard wood was the only thing behind him, and he had no way to escape. She saw her opening; he wasn't blocking his arm with his sword. He was too busy focusing on where her blow would land to kill. She lunged forward, her breath coming ragged as she plunged her sword into his forearm, pinning him helplessly to the wood behind him. His scream was primal as metal crushed bone.

"You didn't truly think you could live out a normal life after what you did...did you" She asked her words filled with rage.

"Your... sister... was a whore" Seth managed to spit in between gasps.

"That does it" she screamed withdrawing her scimitar from his arm. She raised it above her head, going in for the kill. Her weapon came down with effortless ease sliding into his chest. He twitched, his whole body jerking as it went in. Just seconds later blood poured forth from his mouth. She then grabbed his neck, choking him. "My sister was...not... a...whore. She was an angel." She released her grip on his neck. He died shortly thereafter. When she was sure he was gone she cut off his head, and then slid to the ground in a sobbing heap her hands covered in her enemy's blood.

Jonathan, having witnessed this all, looked at Nefret's body on the ground saying "Whoa, I have got to learn how to do that" Then, he rushed to her side, picking her up into her arms whispering the little Egyptian he knew "_Hasheesh_ Nefret, _hasheesh_."


	13. Batch 13

Thanks for the review, lilylynn!

**

* * *

Shell (pen name Eviefan) April 30, 2002  
**_Back at the lake, 15 minutes before…_

Seeing her son held under water, Evelyn felt her blood boil. Who did that woman think she was trying to hurt her baby? When Rick finally let go of her, Evelyn ran as fast as she could. She held out her fist and as she rammed into Bonnie, she punched her nose hard. That of course distracted the woman, and Evie reached in the water and felt for Alex. For one heart stopping moment she couldn't find him, then she felt something. With all her strength, Evelyn grabbed on to what she felt and she pulled up. Alex came out of the water, and he was not moving. "NOOOO!" Evelyn screamed as she laid him on the ground.

Before she could help him, Bonnie had regained her composure and grabbed at her, not knowing who she was messing with. She stood Evelyn up, and that was as far as she got as Evie started to deliver blows, blows that knocked Bonnie off of her feet, but not for long. She knew the ancient ways, and soon matched Evie's every move.

While the two of them fought, Seth stopped his reading, and left. He had seen Nefret, and he was going to finish her off as he knew he should have done a long time ago.

**Krista - May 1, 2002  
**Rick watched in shock as Evelyn continued to fight against Nephthys. He'd never seen Evie so out of character...so angry...so...like a mother bear defending her cub...granted, he was upset too that his son was close to becoming a human sacrifice. But even he had his limits. It seemed that Evie decided to drop all boundaries and go all out...but was that the right way to go?

'First thing's first...I need to make sure Alex is okay before Seth comes back...' Rick thought as he rushed to his son.

He knelt beside Alex's soaking wet and sore body. Alex was most definitely not moving...Rick checked for a heartbeat. He cursed under his breath when he found an extremely light and small one. It was small, but it was still there. Gently Rick began to rub his hands over his son's chest. He didn't know how this was going to help, but maybe, just maybe, it would reduce the fluid in his lungs and hopefully get him back to the living world. After what seemed like an eternity, Alex began to stir, coughing violently on the water in his body. Rick sat him up carefully, rubbing his back in slow circles. Immediately Alex coughed up all the water and other numerous fluids from his mouth. He gasped heavily and slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, thinking for a moment he was still underwater. But then he felt the strong arms of his father take hold of him.

"Ohh Alex...thank God you're alive..." Rick breathed into his son's hair.

"D-Dad...Dad?" Alex gasped, wrapping his arms tightly around his father's waist. He was saved!

"And THIS is for my son's life, you shrew." Evie yelled as she swiftly kicked Nephthys in the chest.

"Damn you to the afterlife, you miserable wench," Nephthys snapped, wiping blood away from her mouth as she backed away from Evie.

"Wow, look at Mum go..." Alex said in amazement.

Evie paused suddenly to realize she had heard her son's voice. She glanced over her shoulder and gasped in shock, seeing her son alive, awake, and in her husband's arms.

"Alex!"

Without warning, Nephthys had taken out a dagger from the folds of her clothing and lunged at Evie's turned back. And suddenly, as Evie turned back to her fight with the enemy, she suddenly realized what happened too little too late...

"RICK!" Evelyn gasped as her husband fell to his knees, the dagger hitting an unseen target in his flesh, penetrating a mere inch away from his heart.

It was as if he hadn't felt it at all. As soon as the dagger had been released from Nephthys' hand, Rick had whipped out his gun, relying on sheer luck that his gun contained at least one bullet. Lady Luck was on his side, for in a gun he thought was empty, there was one bullet left. And the bullet was now right in the center of Nephthys' forehead. As he watched her body collapse dead to the ground, Rick smiled weakly. He could faintly hear the sound of Evie and Alex crying out to him and holding onto his body. He chuckled faintly.

"The family...I...love..." Rick gasped out quietly. "...is safe..."

With a whispered 'I love you', Rick slowly closed his eyes and collapsed against Evelyn. She gasped and caught him, holding onto him tightly. Evie began to cry, shaking her husband in her arms.

"Rick...O'Connell, this isn't funny..." Evie choked out. "Rick open your damned eyes!"

But he lay there...unmoving...not blinking...just laying there limp. And Evie then realized she and Alex were alone...

...now a widow and now a single mother...

**Desiree - May 3, 2002  
**Jonathan just sat there, staring at Gabrielle. But wait a second, was her chest moving? Was she breathing?

"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Are you OK! Please," Jonathan screamed out as he heard her moan in pain.

"Jonathan," Gabrielle mumbled weakly.

Nefret just gazed on in wonder when Jonathan started screaming in his language at the dead girl on the ground, and then she heard it too. Gabrielle had groaned!

"She's alive! She's alive!" Jonathan started cradling and hugging the pained Gabrielle. "Oh, God. I thought I'd lost you."

Nefret walked over to Jonathan and Gabrielle; she knelt down to inspect the wound. The girl was hurt, bad. Jonathan finally calmed down and came to his senses.

"We need to get her to a hospital."

Nefret had heard Jonathan speak, but she didn't know what he had said. Olympus then walked up behind them, and he scooped Gabrielle up into his arms.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"She needs help, her wound is deep." Olympus started walking away from the city, and on to his home. Jonathan didn't want to leave Evie, but he had to stay with Gabrielle.

Later, in Olympus's home, while Nefret was seeing to Gabrielle's wounds, Olympus and Jonathan were in a deep conversation.

"You really love her? ...And she loves you."

"Yes, by God. I do love her. I love her more than, than, anything! Oh I don't know how to express this feeling, but I do know that she feels it too. I've seen it in her eyes."

As much as it hurt him to say this, Olympus said "I love her, too, but she does not love me. At least not like I want her to. So, I wish you both happiness, if she..." he couldn't finish the sentence, but Jonathan knew what the rest of the sentence was "...if she lives." He couldn't, wouldn't think of that. Gabrielle couldn't die, she couldn't leave him! Just then, Nefret walked into the room and started talking to Olympus in their language.

"What? What's she saying?"

"She says that Gabrielle is beyond her medical abilities." Olympus's words were heavy and slow with sorrow.

"Then, we must get her to my time! We must get her to a doctor! Here let's go." And they did. As soon as Olympus had translated to Nefret, they were on their way, Jonathan holding Gabrielle, to the tunnel before it could close. Nefret knew Jonathan couldn't do it alone, and she knew that she was the one who had to go with him. Nefret told Olympus of her plan, and she told him to tell the O'Connells and Ardeth where Jonathan, she, and Gabrielle had gone.

As soon as Olympus started to turn away, Jonathan asked"Hey, where's he going? Hey!" Nefret had started to pull on Jonathan's arm, and he ended up almost dropping Gabrielle. Nefret gave Jonathan a look that said to hurry, and Jonathan understood, she was coming with him through the tunnel.

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) May 6, 2002  
**Jonathan hardly slept at all, in fact he didn't even want to sleep at all, but Nefret (after seeing him almost drop Gabrielle several times) persuaded him to take a rest. They had made it far from the tunnel, but in the whole picture they were hardly to civilization at all. They were in a small cavern now, big enough to have a fireplace and three bed mats not too close together. Nefret had already drifted off, and Jonathan was snoring slightly as he leaned against the cavern wall near Gabrielle's sleeping body.

Or at least where Gabrielle's sleeping body had been minutes before. Now she was sitting up by the fire, wrapping her wound in her stomach with great pain. She had ripped the fabric from the bottom of her pants and was wrapping the white fabric, now turning red with blood, as many times as she could around her waist, knotting it off tightly when she ran out of fabric.

After finishing her wound-tending she stood up and fetched her sais from a bag Jonathan had been carrying and snapped them in their place at her boots. She had to catch her breath a bit before she moved anymore and was about to wake Nefret when she turned around to see that the woman was already awake.

"Nefret." Gabrielle gasped, startled a bit by the woman's standing presence. Nefret wasn't too tall, but she was much taller than Gabrielle's short stature. Gabrielle looked up into Nefret's Egyptian eyes similar to her own. "I have to go back and help the O'Connells," She started.

Nefret had not known that Gabrielle could speak her language and English both. She shrugged it aside, thinking that Olympus must have educated the girl in several languages. She replied in a simple "No Gabrielle."

"Nefret I have to. It's not in me to run from a fight."

"You are wounded."

"I'm fine...just a flesh wound."

"GABRIELLE! God bless you, you're awake," Jonathan's excited but sleepy voice came from behind her. Gabrielle spun on her toes and ended up right under Jonathan's nose, who quickly took a step back, looking her over.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She nodded, and felt Nefret step outside of the cavern behind her, sensing that the two might want privacy after the tearful events.

"Jonathan I have to go back and help Rick and Evelyn."

"Over my dead body. No Gabrielle you're coming to England with me darling." Jonathan replied with a laugh.

"England? You mean your home? Jonathan I can't just pick up and leave." Gabrielle told him, stepping back and putting a hand to her head, pacing a bit around the fire.

Jonathan watched her intently, his face barely seen in the dim firelight. "Well of course you're coming with me...I thought..."

Sighing with exasperation and worry Gabrielle turned back to look at Jonathan"Jonathan it's a whole completely different time. I can't do that, you can't expect me to do that."

'No way she's doing this to me now. Not after all I've been through.' Jonathan thought, 'She's coming with me to England whether she likes it or not.'

Gabrielle could almost see the irritation growing in Jonathan's eyes and heard it in his voice when he lashed out. "Gabrielle listen...you are coming with me to England and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it! I will drag you kicking and screaming if I have to but I'm not losing you again! For Cripes sake I almost lost you earlier, nearly went bloody crazy thinking what I'd do without you and you expect me to just let you stay here? No bloody way in hell am I doing that! So if you don't get your act together I'm going to have to pick you up and carry you to England because there is nothing that will make me leave you."

Jonathan had to take a breath after that speech and put his hands on his hips, a glint of pride coming over his eyes slightly in all the anger that was there. 'Thank heavens something I learned from O'Connell finally paid off.' He thought to himself, watching Gabrielle's face.

Gabrielle could hardly believe it. She just stared at him for a while, mouth open not knowing what to think. But finally her expression split into a grin and she couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Isis, Jonathan, now I know why I love you." Was all she said before she took two steps over and hugged him timidly, trying not to make contact with her gash.

Jonathan smiled a cute half smile and hugged her back, also careful of her weak body. He kissed her forehead before bringing his lips passionately down on hers, knowing now that she liked his strong side.

After the kiss that seemed to last hours ended Gabrielle looked up at Jonathan, his arms still wrapped around him. "Can we go help your sis first?"

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) May 9, 2002  
**She sat there for what seemed like hours, clutching her husband's shoulders and rocking back and forth with him while weeping. Alex, despite the chains, cried on his mother's shoulder as both sat there, in the middle of the ceremonial quart yard, beside the pool. Oblivious to anything that just happened outside of their surroundings.

After a few minutes of trying to compose himself, Alex finally spoke. "Mum?" He asked.

Evelyn had been so distraught with emotions that she almost forgot her son was there, as she reluctantly turned away from her husband to address him. "Yes, Alex." She sniffed.

"I'm sorry," He cried out, then collapsed back on her shoulder crying even harder now.

"Oh no," Evelyn countered trying to hold in her tears. "This isn't your fault! It's none of our fault, it's...it's," She looked out toward the pool and noticed that Bonnie's body was gone. "Where is she," She whispered to herself, then ignored the fact and turned her attention back to her son.

**Shell (****pen name Eviefan****) May 9, 2002  
**Osiris felt the pain as he and Adom were traveling to the Palace to find Nefertiri and her father. From what the Wise One had told him, the ones who were from a different time had arrived, and he realized that the man he would be in another life had been injured. "We must hurry Adom. When we arrive at the palace we need to help those the Wise One spoke of. The boy you saw and his family must be able to return to their time," he said as he urged the horse he and Adom traveled on to move faster.

* * *

Evelyn looked at her husband once again, for now not worrying where Bonnie had been taken. He was gone, and she now knew what he and Alex had felt when she had died in Ahm-Shere. They had fulfilled their task. Alex was saved and the ritual was stopped, but Rick was gone, and there was no spell to bring him back or was there. "Alex we need to move you're father back in the safety of cover. We are going to go to Hamunaptra and we are going to use the book to bring him back to..." 

She was cut off when both of them heard hoof fall. When they looked up there was a man and a boy on a black horse. The man had long black hair, the same as Ardeth's, and he looked just like Rick. The boy's hair was also long, and resembled Alex, and Evelyn realized who they were. She spoke in the ancient language telling them why they had come.

When she finished speaking, Osiris dismounted from his horse and walked over to Rick. He knelt down and from within the folds of his cloak took out a bottle. "Help me," he said.

Evie did as she was instructed and found the wound where he had been stabbed, then watched as he poured a green liquid over that. Osiris also forced some of it down Rick's throat, and a moment later he began to move.

**Sheri (pen name Lucky Fannah) May 10, 2002  
**Meanwhile, Jonathan and Gabrielle were holding on to each other desperately, not wanting their embrace to end. Jonathan pulled his head back to look Gabrielle in the eyes. "Gabrielle, you are wounded! You are going to get medical treatment before you go anywhere."

Gabrielle saw the serious look in Jonathan's gorgeous twinkling blue eyes and knew it was no use pressing the issue any further. _By the gods_, she thought, _I've met my match!_ Then, Jonathan turned towards where Nefret was waiting and called to her.

"My lady, we must continue to my time. Her wounds need attention and I shan't see her suffer one minute longer." Nefret rounded the corner, stepping into Jonathan's view.

Not understanding Jonathan's words, but knowing their meaning, Nefret closed the distance between herself and the two star-crossed lovers, embracing them, holding their hands.

Suddenly, Jonathan started weaving, unsteady on his feet. His legs soon gave out and he fell to the ground forcefully, painfully bruising his knees. Crying out, Jonathan leaned forward, holding his head in his hands.

"Jonathan!" Gabrielle and Nefret yelled together. "Oh, Isis! Jonathan," Gabrielle said as she knelt next to her love, painfully wrapping a protective arm around his hunched form.

Jonathan was groaning, rocking back and forth in agony. "NOoooooooooooooooooooooo!" "Please stop!" Then as quickly as it had come, the pain was gone. Perspiring and shaking, Jonathan tried to stand but realized he was too weak.

Nefret leaned down to help Gabrielle calm and quiet Jonathan, looking him in the eyes and realizing he was having a vision.

"Gabrielle, he is seeing his past life. He is beginning to remember." After what seemed like a lifetime to Gabrielle, Jonathan jerked out of the trance he was in, still shaking, his hair and shirt soaked with perspiration.

Looking to Gabrielle next to him and then glancing at Nefret standing above him, Jonathan very quietly spoke, his voice sounding as weak as his body felt.

"Bloody hell! I saw myself as a young man in Seti I's palace! I...I...was on a throne next to my sister Nefertiri and my father Seti I! For cripes sake... I was the crown Prince himself! I was Ramesses II, heir to the throne."


	14. Batch 14

**Krista - May 11, 2002  
**His fingers began to twitch as the liquid poured through his system. Soon they were deep into the sands, grasping as if he were attempting to grab his life. Rick felt pain slowly subside. Hadn't he...wasn't he close to...? He slowly opened his eyes and glanced around in confusion. Evie hovered over his body, tears streaming down her face in pure joy. Alex was behind her, excited that his father was being brought to the land of the living once more. He groaned and put a hand on his head, trying to disintegrate a headache.

"Nn...what the hell happened?" Rick's words slurred.

"Ohh Rick you're alive!" Evie cried, throwing himself atop his now healed chest.

Rick, unfortunately, still had the wind knocked out of him from both his wife and his child being thrown on top of him. But he didn't really mind it that much. He was just glad to see them both okay...with...two strange yet familiar looking people behind them?

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) May 12, 2002  
**Gabrielle stared at Jonathan in astonishment. How could she have missed it? His features resembled the young prince so much and yet she'd completely overlooked it. Of course, Jonathan was much older than Ramesses, but yet she was sure the prince would grow to look very similar to her love.

It was a few years back when Gabrielle had rescued the young Ramesses, and they'd been friends ever since. However, the prince had been gone for quite a while for reasons Gabrielle had no knowledge of. But now she knew that it was true, that Jonathan was the reincarnated form of Ramesses.

"Gabrielle, we must go, you need medical attention." Nefret told Gabrielle, helping Jonathan up.

"That's right, we must get you into London." Jonathan said, recovering from his trance and regaining some of his strength, trying to concentrate on the situation at hand.

Not wanting to make the long trip to England, Gabrielle shook her head then got an idea, a sly grin spreading across her pretty face. "I have an idea..."

Jonathan and Nefret didn't even get a chance to ask what Gabrielle's brilliant idea was, but they followed her anyway. She was still limping and holding her stomach, but was obviously a very strong person who didn't give up easily, and Jonathan was greatly admiring her strength. Every once in a while she would almost fall to her knees but Jonathan would place his hand at her side and help her stand. They were also holding hands for most of the way.

She was going back through the tunnel, they could both tell that, but neither protested due to the eager look on the girl's face. Once through the tunnel she didn't stray very far, going into the direction of a small oasis surrounded by baron desert.

They reached the oasis but did not stop to rest at the brim, going deep into the trees Gabrielle brought them to a small shack next to a river paradise. She stopped finally and they all panted to catch their breath. "Senbi! Senbi!" Gabrielle called out, walking closer to the shack once she'd caught her breath.

Jonathan remembered the name 'Senbi' from his studies. It meant healthy but the small wiry man who came out from behind the shack was no resemblance of that. He was a sickeningly thin gangly man with a tuft of unruly black hair sprouting out of his head. He had a sunken chest and walnut shaped brown eyes. His skin was tan, Egyptian obviously and he was wearing what appeared to be black pajamas held up by a rope around his thin waist.

"Yes, yes, what do you want now?" He asked in a weasely voice.

By the Gods...it's Beni! Jonathan's jaw dropped and he felt it might even touch the ground. He knew he recognized this scrawny figure from somewhere! It was that little weasel Beni! "Holy Horus..." Jonathan muttered under his breath.  
"I've got a job for you." Gabrielle told Senbi, putting her hands on her hips.

"No way sis, I'm not doing anything for you this time..." Senbi replied starting to walk away.

Sis? As in sister? Ah crickey Gabs is Beni's sister! Jonathan rolled his eyes and put a hand to his head.

Senbi scrambled into his shack and Gabrielle huffed and followed, turning to Jonathan and Nefret stating a simple, "This will only take a moment." Before she darted into the hut after her brother.

Jonathan and Nefret exchanged glances, but knowing that it was close to impossible for them to communicate neither even tried. After a few minutes Senbi came running back out of the shack, Gabrielle following angrily after.

"Come on Senbi! It's a chance to do something really good!"

"No way!"

"...and get a big reward.."

Senbi stopped dead in his tracks and smirked, turning around. "She had to mention the R word..."

Gabrielle stepped toward him, grinning.

"How much?"

"Fifty."

"Twenty."

"Forty."

"Twenty-five."

Senbi sighed and gave his sister a glare, "Deal."

Gabrielle shook his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you."

* * *

After Senbi had gotten Gabrielle stitched up and the others had bathed in the lake, Gabrielle and Jonathan lay outside under the stars on blankets while Nefret was sound asleep. Jonathan rolled over to look at Gabrielle. "Gabs?" 

"Hmmm?"

"I knew your brother in his future life."

"You did? Was he as big of a weasel then too?"

"You have no idea."

They didn't speak for a while because Gabrielle started to hum and sing softly. Jonathan just lay there listening to her voice. She wasn't singing in English, but Jonathan could pick out a few of the romantic lyrics. After she stopped he had to ask:

"Where did you learn English?"

"From Olympus...he was born in Greece...he's studied many languages, back when Senbi and I were children his father taught us all the languages. Senbi's learned seven."

"How did you get the name Gabrielle? It's not Egyptian."

"My real name is Pasebaknaennuit." Gabrielle replied.

"That's a mouthful." Jonathan laughed.

"No kidding. Olympus gave me the nickname Gabrielle and it stuck."

Suddenly from the shack came a shattering noise and the two jumped up as they heard Senbi cursing in several different languages.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) May 12, 2002  
**Osiris watched as the man was practically strangled by his wife's and son's joyous hugs. He placed his hand on Evie's shoulder to get her attention. "I don't believe I have enough medicine left to revive him once more should you suffocate him," he joked. Evie laughed and wiped the tears from her eyes. She stood and took Alex's hand and they moved aside so that Osiris could help Rick to his feet.

"I don't know how I can ever thank you," Evie said.

"Perhaps we can discuss that after we have all made proper introductions," Osiris responded.

Rick did not understand what they'd been saying and could still not get over the two people who had been standing before him. Maybe it was a trick of the shadows, he thought to himself. He groaned as he pushed himself up to sitting position. He squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands on either side of his pounding head making circular motions at his temples to ease the pain. When he opened his eyes, the man was leaning over him, offering a hand to help him to his feet. He took the hand and pushed himself off the ground, finding himself at eye level with the man. He was shocked to find that the man looked exactly like him. "Oh great, I'm dreaming," Rick thought to himself. "I must've really banged my head this time."

Evie came to his side and placed her arm around him. "Are you alright my dear?"

"Yah, I guess, but this is the strangest damn dream I've ever had." Rick yelped as Evie pinched his side. "OW! What was that for?"

Evie smiled up at him innocently. "Just to show you that you're not dreaming. You wouldn't have felt that or any of the other pain if you were asleep."

"Yah? Well you just wait. You're gunna pay for that lady," he teased her. He bent down and gave her a kiss.

Alex rolled his eyes and began to tug on his father's sleeve. "Hello! Geez! Can't you guys stop the mushy stuff for at least five minutes? We have company you know!"

Evie blushed as she looked over at Osiris and Adom. Rick cleared his throat and chuckled under his breath. "So uh, who are these guys?" Rick asked Evie.

"I'm not exactly sure," she began, "they showed up and immediately began working on bringing you back to us. Let's get an introduction, shall we?" She removed her arm from around him and took hold of his hand while they began their introductions to Osiris and Adom.

Evie spoke in his language. "My name is Evelyn, but you may call me Evie. This is my husband, Rick, and my son, Alex. Ardeth and Olympus are around here somewhere making sure everything is all right, and my brother, Jonathan, and Nefret have taken Gabrielle to a healer in our time."

Osiris nodded to Rick and Alex and responded. "I am called Osiris. This is my son, Adom. Perhaps we can discuss how your group may be of help to me. I take it your husband does not understand my language, and I do not understand his. This will take much too long for you to translate to your husband, so I must ask that we delay until I can find the bracelet that was stolen from me." Osiris looked to his son. "Adom, go and find the body of Suetekh and bring me the bracelet. I will begin explaining the bracelet."

Adom gave a beaming smile at being given a task. "Yes, father."

"I'll go with you," Alex responded in their language. Adom smiled. "I know where Seth's body is." He and Adom began walking off together to retrieve the bracelet. "I'm Alex. Boy, it's neat to meet someone who looks just like me…." His voice drifted off as he and Adom walked out of hearing range.

"The bracelet had been given to me by my father when I became a Med-jai. He told me that the bracelet has a destiny of its own. It gives great power to the one who wears it. Suetekh was not meant to be a wearer of the bracelet, so he was not able to gain its full use or power. It is said that the chosen wearer will have dreams of who it must be given to next and when it must be passed on to the next chosen person." He looked over at Rick, who was curiously listening though he didn't understand, then he looked back at Evie. "I have had the dream, and your husband has been chosen as the bracelet's next wearer. As soon as the sun rises this next day, it is to be worn by him and it will show him what he must do. It is his destiny. He will be able to understand and speak this language, for it is the language of the bracelet."

**Desiree - May 14, 2002  
**Jonathan and Gabrielle sat straight up, "What the bloody hell was that!"

"I'd better go check on Senbi." Gabrielle started to stand, but the pain in her side was too severe, and she fell softly back onto the ground.

"I'll check on him. You stay here and relax- I'm sure nothing's wrong. I'll be right back." Jonathan trotted over to the shack and saw a bunch of broken pots and Senbi lying on the floor… completely naked! "What the…?"

Nefret walked in right at that moment, and gasped at the horrendous sight before her.

"Get me my clothes! A blanket! Something!" Senbi was hysterical.

"All right! …Here." Senbi snatched up the clothes Jonathan was handing to him, and slowly started to stand up. Nefret attempted to help, but was pushed aside by the still uncovered Senbi.

"What happened here?" Nefret and Jonathan had spoken at the same time, asking the same question, but in different languages. Senbi chuckled at the timing.

First he answered to Jonathan and then to Nefret, "I was about to go to bed, um, when I remembered, um, that I was supposed to put these pots away. I, uh, slipped on some water here, and, um, I, uh, fell over and all the pots fell with me! I'm ok, though. Thanks for the concern- I'm good. You can go on to bed. I'm fine, really. Go on!" Senbi looked worried, and he kept looking at the ground. It almost looked like he didn't want the two to see which pots had been broken.

Jonathan shrugged his shoulders and went back to Gabrielle. Nefret also returned to her bed.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes. He just, um, slipped on some water." Jonathan lay down next to Gabrielle, and the two slept in each other's embrace. Later that night, though, Jonathan lay awake wondering, Why did Senbi seem like he was making up his story? Why was he carrying a bunch of pots? Why didn't he just do it in the morning? And most of all, why on earth was he naked? Jonathan made himself stop thinking about it- oh well, maybe I'm just suspicious of another Beni- and fell asleep.

**Deana Lisi- May 16, 2002  
**Ardeth checked the grounds, hoping to dispose of any foes that were working with Seth and Bonnie. What Ardeth didn't know, was that someone had spotted him.

Imhotep watched the man sneak around, suspiciously. He must be looking for me, having witnessed the crime! his mind told him. I must kill him before he makes known what I have done.

Ardeth never saw Imhotep coming behind him, but at the last second he sensed danger, turning around in time to deflect the priest's sword from nearly decapitating him. He succeeded, but the force of Imhotep's attack threw him off balance, and they both fell hard to the ground, his scimitar and Imhotep's still-bloody sword both clattering away.

Ardeth was stunned for a minute, his already injured head throbbing painfully. Imhotep crawled off him and frantically made his way to where the swords had landed.

Ardeth realized his intentions, and grabbed Imhotep's leg, attempting to stop him.

As fast as lightning, Imhotep turned around, and threw a punch at him. Ardeth had to let go with one arm to block it, and Imhotep now had his chance to stand, and he jumped to his feet quickly, kicking Ardeth in the chest.

Ardeth gasped when the breath shot out of him. He watched dully as Imhotep ran towards the swords, and he knew that if he didn't get up he would be dead in less then a minute.

Ignoring his pain, he got to his feet and ran at Imhotep, who was starting to pick up his sword. Ardeth dove into him, making the priest lose his grip on the weapon. What Ardeth didn't realize was that they would then both roll down a steep embankment that had been conveniently hidden by bushes.

After coming to a painful stop at the bottom, neither of them moved for a minute. When Ardeth opened his eyes, his one relief was that Imhotep was now away from the swords.

But now, so was he.

Ardeth got to his feet, the priest doing the same. With a deep breath, Ardeth realized that one of two things would now happen: he would either give the beating of his life, or receive the beating of his life.

With a wild yell, Imhotep charged at him, and Ardeth aimed to throw a punch at his face. The priest was expecting that, however, and blocked it, punching Ardeth hard in the stomach.

Ardeth gasped, the breath knocked out of him a second time. His body automatically doubled over, though he tried not to. Surprisingly, Imhotep didn't keep hitting him, obviously waiting for Ardeth to recover so they could go at it again.

It looks as though I will receive the beating of my life, Ardeth thought, trying to get his breath back. Hunched over, he hung his head, his hands on his knees, hoping that Imhotep would let his guard down somewhat, thinking he'd really hurt him. It seemed to work, for when Ardeth suddenly sprang at him, Imhotep looked slightly surprised.

Ardeth got in three good, solid punches before Imhotep punched him back, and, taking advantage of Ardeth's unbalanced position, kicked his legs out from under him.

As Ardeth went down, he did the same thing to Imhotep, who hadn't expected it. Landing hard on his rear, he muttered something that Ardeth didn't quite catch, and grabbed a huge rock, intending to smash it on Ardeth's head.

Ardeth rolled to the side, out of the way. He was frustrated that he hadn't already won the fight…his earlier injuries disadvantaging him greatly. He and Imhotep were pretty much evenly matched on a good day.

This was not a good day.

Imhotep came at him again, and, still on the ground, he kicked the priest's leg hard, before he came close enough. Imhotep caught himself before he fell, and punched Ardeth on the side of his head.

Ardeth saw stars, but he grabbed Imhotep's arm and punched him in the stomach. The priest fell on top of him, and used the advantage to get a few more punches in. They rolled around for a minute, each of them trying to get the upper hand.

"STOP!"

Both of them obeyed, surprised at the voice. Looking up the embankment, they saw Olympus standing there, holding Ardeth's scimitar and Imhotep's sword. He started to come down the embankment, and Imhotep—knowing he could never fight two people armed with swords while he had nothing—scrambled up and ran.

Olympus ran over to Ardeth, who was still lying on the ground, trying to catch his breath. Olympus knelt next to him, wincing at the bruises that he could see already forming, and the blood coming from the corner of the Med-jai's mouth and left eye. He put a hand on Ardeth's arm.

"Are you all right?"

Ardeth was so relieved that the fight was over, that he nearly laughed at Olympus' question. "Yes," he lied.

Olympus looked like he didn't believe him. "Nefret and Jonathan have taken Gabrielle to Jonathan's time, for medical help," he explained, as he helped the Med-jai up.

Ardeth held out his hand to stop him when he reached a sitting position, not ready to stand just yet. "The woman still lives?" he asked, surprised.

Olympus nodded.

Ardeth was glad, for Jonathan's sake. He was upset that Nefret had gone with them, however, for he wanted nothing more then to see her right now.

"I have told the O'Connell's, they are waiting for us to return," Olympus said.

At that, Ardeth started to move, and Olympus pulled him to his feet, holding onto him tightly when he groaned, blinking back a wave of dizziness.

"Are you sure that you are all right?" Olympus asked, concerned.

Ardeth nodded, realizing that Olympus didn't know of his earlier injuries. They made their way to the hill, and Ardeth nearly groaned again at the thought of climbing it.

They started up it, slowly; Olympus lending Ardeth a hand when he felt the injured Med-jai needed it.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the top. Olympus attained it first, and helped pull Ardeth up, over the edge. Sitting against the bush that had so effectively hidden the embankment, they paused to catch their breath.

"Did they find Alex?" Ardeth suddenly asked, remembering what they'd come for.

Olympus nodded. "Yes."

Ardeth smiled, sighing in relief.

After a minute, the two men rose and started the walk back to the O'Connell's location.


	15. Batch 15

**Krista - May 18, 2002  
**As Osiris explained the bracelet to the husband and wife, Evie couldn't help but slip her hand into Rick's. She just needed that small reassurance he was standing beside her, alive and okay. When she felt his slightly callused skin touch her own, she outwardly sighed in relief and gripped it tightly. Rick noticed this and gave a gentle squeeze back in response. He hadn't meant to scare Evie like that...hell, he hadn't intended on dying, either. Fortunately they were apparently able to resurrect him. But now Evie was emotional and nervous. Frankly, Rick didn't blame her for being so. After all, he had felt the same way when she...was killed. This thought caused him to squeeze onto her hand tighter. How close they had each come...he wasn't sure he could take much more tension on his heart.

"So we must place the bracelet on his wrist in order for him to understand his destiny?" Evie wondered.

Osiris nodded. "Yes. It is imperative he at least knows something of his true destiny. This could be vital for your time and for my own."

Evie glanced at Rick. "Looks like you'll be saving two time periods, O'Connell. This one and ours in the future."

Rick arched a brow, wondering what in the name of the pyramids Osiris was saying. His lack of knowledge of the Egyptian language was really starting to bug him. Here he was, vital to the future of two worlds and yet he didn't understand a damn word of what they were saying.

'Fantastic...' Rick thought bitterly.

As Osiris and Evie continued their discussion of the bracelet, Rick looked towards the direction in which Alex and Adom had left. He hoped the two boys were all right. After just getting Alex back, Rick didn't want anything else to go wrong. While he was staring off into the distance, he suddenly noticed movement.

'Odd...is someone coming this way?' He wondered.

Rick narrowed his eyes to attempt to make out the figures coming. They were far too tall to be Alex and Adom. He slipped away from Evie's grasp to move a bit closer and realized one of them was wearing familiar robes.

"Ardeth!" He gasped.

Evie and Osiris glanced at Rick, and Evie was the first to notice the dark-haired Med-jai making his way towards them with Olympus. She stood beside Rick and tipped her head.

"Wasn't he supposed to be healing with Nefret?" she asked.

"I dunno, but I'm going to meet them halfway. You stay here with me." Rick replied, pointing to Osiris as he rushed over to Ardeth and Olympus.

Evie glanced at Olympus and back at Rick's retreating form. She sighed softly and decided it best not to follow. Rick could handle himself, right? After all, he had just gotten himself killed to protect her and was now back from the dead and running about as if nothing happened. No big deal right?

Wrong.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Evie cried, running after him. Osiris blinked then rushed after Evie.

"Didn't he say stay here!" Osiris yelled in his native tongue.

Evie ignored him and rushed after Rick. Rick in the meantime, had just caught up with Ardeth and Olympus. Olympus appeared fine, but Ardeth on the other hand looked awful.

"Ardeth...you look like shit." Rick stated.

Ardeth gave Rick a look. "Very perceptive of you, O'Connell," he said sarcastically.

"Weren't you supposed to be resting with Nefret?" Rick wondered.

"Well one thing led to another, and here I am, feeling rather beaten by that monster Imhotep, and Nefret, Jonathan, and Gabrielle are all in your time giving the girl medical help." Ardeth said with a slight scowl.

Rick blinked then yelled, "WHAT!"

Ardeth winced at the yelling, his head just a tad in pain. He had somehow expected that type of reaction. After all, how would you feel if you were left behind in a place you sure as hell didn't want to be?

"Ohh I don't believe this!" Rick sighed in exasperation. "We're stuck in this time while Jonathan and Gabrielle are in the NORMAL time, getting medical help! And of course, I was just killed and brought back to life, and we have a Med-jai standing here covered in blood, and Jonathan leaves to get medical help for Gabrielle!"

Evie ended up coming up behind at Rick's little rant, catching everything he was yelling. She looked at Ardeth in surprise, and then at Rick in even more surprise. It was a sight to see him yelling. It almost made her afraid to be around him, because he was so loud and so strong. You would not want to be on the negative end of it...

"And to top things off, I have to wear some bracelet coming off a dead body to see my destiny. Faaaaaaaaaaantastic!" Rick bit off his sentence harshly.

Evie sighed softly and slipped her arms around his waist, giving him a gentle hug. Rick looked down at her, suddenly realizing for the first time his wife was standing in front of him. She gently rubbed his back with flattened palms, slow circles easing the tension.

"Evie..." Rick sighed.

"Rick, it's not like you're facing this alone...we're all here to support you." Evie said softly.

"I know it, Evie. But I just didn't want things like this to be happening again. First the whole Hamunaptra incident, then the whole Scorpion King business and you getting killed and Alex being taken from us, and now this. This was supposed to be a nice time, just the three of us together as a family. And what happens? This!" Rick said in frustration.

Evie frowned. "Rick, sometimes you just can't fight destiny. I-"

"Evie this CAN'T be my destiny. Fighting mummies and evil for the rest of my natural life CAN'T be my destiny."

"I'm not saying it's your entire life, Rick. But which world would you rather have your son live in? A world where you didn't have to worry where your son was at all times? Or a world where your son could be the next slave to a pharaoh or the next sacrifice to a god?" Evie said quietly.

"Evie, you know the answer to that..."

"Then stop fighting destiny, O'Connell and start fighting for the future!" Evie cried.

Rick looked at Evie in silent regard. He had to have been acting rather foolishly if Evie were to have spoken to him in such a tone. He let out a soft sigh and returned the hug she had given him.

"You're right..." Rick said softly.

Evie smiled gently, then turned back towards the sands as she heard children's laughter in the distance. The boys were returning with the bracelet. As they came towards them, Rick watched Alex's smiling face appear both on his own, and on Adom's. They skidded to a halt in front of the group of adults and held up the bracelet in front of Rick.

"We got the bracelet, Dad!" Alex said eagerly.

Rick looked at the bracelet, its familiar golden shine reminding him of the past and of their future. He took the bracelet in his hands, paused in a few moments of contemplation, and then slowly began to slip the bracelet onto his wrist...

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) May 20, 2002  
**As the bracelet made contact with Rick's arm, a beam of radiant light stretched across the land. He was thrown off balance (or so it seemed) by the force of the bracelet. He hit the ground and was rendered unconscious for what seemed like eternity, (just long enough to gain knowledge of his previous life, to be exact.)

"Rick! Rick are you alright? I-" Evelyn was interrupted by her husband's precipitate speech about how amazed he was at the sights he just saw, it took her a while to register what she was hearing. For the words were in ancient Egyptian, some so fast that even she couldn't understand them, but Osiris listened contently with a smug smile spread across his face.

"Welcome back" Osiris said, when Rick finished his speech.

"Welcome back? What do you mean, where is he coming 'back' from?" Evelyn asked getting annoyed at not knowing the answers for once.

"He has come back to the Egyptian way, he now knows of everything that he knew in his life before." Osiris explained. "With this new known knowledge, it will now be easier to find Nephthys."

"Nephthys?" Evelyn exclaimed, "She's dead!"

"You can't kill the undead, I thought you'd know that by now." Osiris said.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) May 20, 2002  
**"Undead?" Rick, Evie, Ardeth, and Olympus all questioned in surprise.

"Why do I get the feeling that we'll never be able to live a normal life?" Rick asked himself aloud.

Evie smiled at his question. "Yes, just think. Right now we could be sitting around doing nothing but drinking tea and gossiping about what fun we had at the latest social gathering."

Rick blanched at the idea of dressing like an English dandy and attending tea parties and social gatherings. "Yeah, in that case, I'd have to say bring on the mummies, scarabs, and big, big bugs. Heck, let's throw in some undead people just for a little extra fun."

Osiris burst into laughter and slapped Rick on the back. "My friend, you and I share the exact same sense of humor. We are two of a kind."

Evie crossed her arms and gave an unladylike snort. "Yes, two of a kind of…AH!" Evie yelped as Rick pinched her bottom.

"Do you see why I love this woman so much?" Rick asked Osiris with a sly grin.

"Oh Geez. Here we go again," Alex rolled his eyes and looked to Adom. "Hey, do you want to hear how I helped my mum and dad find me when I was kidnapped?" Adom smiled and nodded and the two went off a few feet away so they could have their own conversation.

Osiris smiled at his son and his new friend and answered Rick's question. "Yes, she is an exact copy of my Nefertiri." He smiled again remembering how much he loved her quick wit and sharp tongue, then frowned at the thought of never seeing her again. "Now we must get to serious business. Suetekh and Nephthys have hidden Nefertiri and Pharaoh Seti somewhere. I need your help. We must get to them before Nephthys. She may be seeking revenge for the death of the one you refer to as Seth."

"I'll help in anyway I can," Rick began. "I owe you my life."

"You may count me in as well." Evie took hold of Osiris's hand and looked him in the eye. "Alex and I owe you a great deal also. I don't know what I would do if I lost Rick." Osiris could see the depth of gratitude in her eyes and he smiled in response.

Ardeth, who had been quietly listening, broke into the conversation. "Did I not tell you, my friend, that you were destined for great things?" He looked over to Osiris chuckling, "You know at first he did not believe this was his fate, but merely shrugged off everything that had happened as coincidence?"

Osiris, Ardeth, and Olympus burst into laughter while Evie tried to hide her smile behind a cough. Rick scowled at the group while mumbling something about figuring out how to use the bracelet to turn them into a pack of hyenas.

Evie heard what he had mumbled and could no longer contain the laughter. "Don't take it personally, dear. Who would have thought an American cowboy would become Egypt's next savior?" she asked. "And me, a librarian of all people, his sidekick?" she added with a laugh.

Osiris pulled himself together. "Come, let us get on our way. I think I know where Nefertiri and her father have been hidden. We must get camels and supplies for our journey and find the others of your group." He looked in the direction of his son. "Adom, Alex, we must get going."

"So, where do you think they have been taken?" Evie asked Osiris.

"It is a secret place, one that you would not know of, for there are a select few who know of its existence," Osiris began. "It is known as The City of the Dead. A hidden away place in the middle of the desert called Hamunaptra."

"Oh great. Trust me when I say that I've heard of it," Rick said. "Hell, I could even lead the way."

**Desiree - May 21, 2002  
**"I guess we should get going." Gabrielle slowly stood up. The pain in her side had started to ease.

"Gabrielle... it's early! We need at least three more hours of sleep."

"Jonathan Carnahan! The sun is far up in the sky! You stop your whining and get up this instant!"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll, I'll never kiss you again." Jonathan quickly got to his feet and took Gabrielle in his arms.

"Now that just wouldn't do, would it?" Jonathan bent his head over Gabrielle's, and the two kissed, until...

"Well, that's a good way to start the morning." An absolutely slimy voice had interrupted the kiss, and an absolutely slimy man had walked up to the couple.

"Senbi, go away, before I kick your ass all the way to Cairo."

Senbi snickered, "Ooh, like I've never heard that before! Naughty words, but not as naughty as what you two have been doing." An exasperated noise arose from Gabrielle's throat as she grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at Senbi. The man turned and stumbled away as Gabrielle ran after him throwing sand at him and yelling in ancient Egyptian.

* * *

Ardeth, riding ahead, saw an oasis with what looked like some sort of shack near the outskirts. "Rick! Look ahead! Perhaps we can stop for water." 

"Sounds good, but, wait a sec..." Rick had spotted the familiar looking man being screamed at and chased by Jonathan's girlfriend! What the hell was going on here! Ardeth and Rick rode up to where Gabrielle had tackled the screaming man and was beating his back with her fists.

"You stupid, son of a...!" Gabrielle was screaming with all her might.

"What the hell is going on here!" Gabrielle stopped pounding on the man with his face down in the sand as Rick dismounted his camel to inspect what was happening. Senbi turned over and looked around at the new visitors.

"Beni! You son of a bitch!" Rick had spotted Senbi and mistaken him for his old enemy, Beni. Senbi stood up to thank O'Connell for saving him from Gabrielle when Rick hit him square in the jaw. Senbi fell back down with surprise as Rick started after him again. Jonathan and Evie walked in around this time, and saw Rick beating up a man on the ground with Gabrielle trying to pull him off.

"No! No! It's OK! He's my brother! Stop it!"

"Rick O'Connell! You stop that right now!" Evie dismounted from her camel and walked over to Rick who was still trying to murder the man lying on the ground. "Rick! Stop it! Come on! Stop it!" Rick finally noticed his wife pulling on his arm telling him to stop, when he started to stand up and look at the unconscious figure on the ground in front of him.

"Well, I 'spose we should take him inside." The entire group gave Jonathan a look that clearly said, "Duh!"

**Krista - May 25, 2002  
**After pulling Senbi inside and giving something for the beatings he earned-err, rather, received...everyone sat inside the shack drinking some water. Rick felt somewhat guilty for beating Gabrielle's brother, even though he was rather satisfied with himself for beating some sense into Beni's past self. Evie on the other hand was not pleased with her husband's brutality.

"You shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, Rick. Now you should understand why Beni was such a creep in the future towards you!" Evie said.

Rick merely shrugged. "Not my fault he was such a creep. He deserved the beating."

Gabrielle glanced at Rick and gave him a dirty look. "He may be a creep but that gave you no right to beat my brother senseless!"

Rick returned the look back. "Maybe if your brother weren't such a bastard in both lives I wouldn't have had to beat him!"

"You don't even know him!"

"I know enough!"

"Do not!"

"I do so!"

"STOP IT THIS INSTANT!"

Rick and Gabrielle stopped their bickering to see Evie glaring daggers at the both of them. Rick knew better to say anything when Evie had that look in her eye. However, Gabrielle was unaccustomed to the looks of Evelyn O'Connell.

"Pardon me, but this doesn't concern you! So just back off!" Gabrielle snapped.

Evie stood nose to nose with Gabrielle. "Excuse me? This doesn't concern me? You're yelling at MY husband because YOUR brother is a bloody idiot!"

Gabrielle growled low. "I'd watch it...you may be the princess in this world but in the other world you're nobody."

Evie narrowed her eyes. "Care to prove that statement?"

"Let's go!"

"GIRLS!"

This time two people were interrupted by Jonathan. He had his arms crossed over his chest in anger and he had the very same look Evie wore earlier. Evie knew the trademark look anywhere and stepped away from the fight. Gabrielle blinked.

"What is with the retreating here? Am I missing something?" she asked.

"Gabrielle, you will learn in time that when one of these three people give that certain look, you back down and back down quickly." Ardeth said, nodding towards Rick, Jonathan and Evie.

Gabrielle scowled. "Well regardless of whatever 'evil looks' they may come up with, I'm going to check on my brother, whom you three seem less than eager to defend!"

With that, she stomped off towards her brother's room. Everyone suddenly glanced at Jonathan in silent wonder. He blinked and crossed his arms again.

"What! Don't make it look like it was my fault!" he snapped.

"Idiot, go talk to her!" Evie snapped.

"Fine!" Jonathan huffed and marched off after her.

While everyone else stood in silence, Alex and Adom merely glanced at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and continued to play mancala with their stones in the sand.


	16. Batch 16

Thanks for the review lilylynn! Yah, poor Senbi is really having a bad day because of his future self!

**

* * *

Whitney Rachels (pen name Nefratiri) June 6, 2002  
**Jonathan ran up beside Gabrielle who seemed to have sped up her step. He grabbed her arm. "Let me go!" Jonathan persisted. Pulling her back and turning her around to face him. 

"No. Babe, I'm sorry. Now why were you about to drop my sister? I mean it seemed as though you two were about to pummel each other!" He said.

She sighed and freed her arm from his grasp. "I'm sorry too but Rick damn near killed my brother! And we just had an argument. I can take her though!" She said more to reassure herself that she could.

Jonathan laughed a little. "Ah, it would be a tough match. Remember who her husband is. Living with them I have seen some pretty funny fighting lessons. One which ended in Rick having a broken nose. She has one hell of a right hook I will tell you that much. But for my sake please do try to get along. I plan to talk to her about it too. Now let's go see that brother of yours."

She nodded. "I will try to get along with her. But she has to play her part too." He took her hand in his as they made their way to her brother's room.

**Sheri (pen name Lucky Fannah) June 7, 2002  
**Once inside, Gabrielle began to tend to her brother while Evie's brother stood by. "Senbi, I apologize for what happened out there." I know Rick and he is not malicious or aggressive unless provoked."

"Jon, honey ... Senbi was not provoking him!"

"I know, Gabrielle, but unfortunately, Senbi's future self left Rick for dead twice, not counting all of us as well. It triggered that anger as soon as he set eyes on Senbi. Do either of you understand he was probably acting out his rage when he saw Beni's twin?"

Gabrielle nodded her head and smiled just a bit at her love. Isis! If he's not the most charming man when he wants to be!

Jon then walked over to the bed and put a reassuring hand on Senbi's shoulder. "Please accept our most sincere apologies, Senbi. AND ... I apologize in advance for any snide remarks or flaring tempers that may result from your uncanny likeness to that swine Beni."

Senbi opened his mouth and out came that same irritating voice that grated on Jon's nerves from 10 years ago in Hamunaptra.

"I will try and understand, Carnahan. But so help me, if you cause worry or pain for my sister ... I'll beat you within an inch of your life!"

Jonathan took a few steps back from Senbi's bedside, eyes large, glancing at Gabs with an almost amused expression.

"Senbi, I appreciate your protectiveness, but if you hurt Jonathan, you better run fast and far away. His sister, brother-in-law, and Med-jai brother Ardeth Bey will hunt you down and I won't be able to save your hide!"

At this point, Jonathan was blushing and grinning at Gabs, his blue eyes twinkling.

"If you are still alive after THAT, I'll hold you down so Jonathan can take swings at you!"

"I would nevah'!" Jonathan pronounced with his British accent.

Senbi laughed and couldn't resist. "Nevah, Carnahan?"

Gabrielle giggled and asked him to say "never" once again. Of course Jon flatly refused, feeling only a wee bit embarrassed by his obvious heavy accent.

Then Jon started to laugh. Gabs began to laugh, and Senbi moaned in pain, clutching his ribs.

"Owwee!" Sister, please don't!

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) June 11, 2002  
**Rick stood outside the bedroom door trying to think of an explanation to go along with the apology for beating the crap out of Senbi. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard laughter. He waited for the laughter to die down and knocked on the door. _Let's just get this over with,_ he thought to himself.

"You may enter," came the scratchy voice.

Rick ground his teeth and opened the door. He looked at each person, then over to Senbi and was again surprised by the resemblance to his old 'friend'. "I've come to apologize."

Jonathan raised a brow. "Now this should be interesting!" He crossed his arm and leaned his shoulder against the wall, giving the impression that he wasn't going anywhere.

Rick gave him a murderous look, but Jonathan gave an innocent look as if he had no idea why Rick would be annoyed with him. Gabrielle sighed and shook her head. She grabbed Jonathan's arm and started to drag him out.

Rick stepped away from the door opening to let them pass. "Evie threatened you with sleeping on the couch again, eh, O'Connell?"

Gabrielle slammed the door shut before Rick could wrap his hands around his brother-in-laws throat. He remembered where he was and what he was there to do. He thought over his speech again and cleared his throat.

"Look, Senbi, I'm sorry about bloodying you up. It was uncalled for and…ah hell." He raked his hand through his hair, annoyed with the situation he put himself in. "I'm not good at this stuff. I'm just going to get straight to the point. When I saw you, I thought you were someone else…someone who I've wanted to beat the crap out of for so long, but he always managed to weasel himself away from my grasp. When I saw you, I completely forgot that I was in another time and place and that Beni was dead. But anyway, to make a long story short…" Rick looked Senbi straight in the eye so that he'd know he was sincere, "I'm sorry."

Senbi's lips curved back in a smile that exposed his teeth and gums. "Apology accepted, O'Connell."

* * *

Ardeth and Nefret stood by the camels talking while waiting to get on their way. Osiris and Evie leaned against the house, watching Adom and Alex teach Gabrielle and Jonathan how to play their game. 

"Astonishing, isn't it?" Osiris asked giving a nod in the direction of Adom and Alex. "If it wasn't for the different hair color, I would not be able to tell them apart. They share the same personality as well as physical appearance."

Evie nodded. "Yes, it is quite amazing. I have seen my past life self in visions and have noticed the almost identical physical appearance, but tell me, does Nefertiri share the same trait of driving a man crazy, as my husband puts it?"

Osiris laughed, remembering how often he used that same line with Nefertiri. "Yes, very much so. You two are exactly alike. Being around you has made me realize how much I miss her and how much she means to me…"

He was interrupted as Rick came slamming through the front door. "We have to go. NOW!"

"Rick, what is it?" Evie asked.

Osiris looked down to see the bracelet glowing and swore. "The bracelet has shown him a vision and by his urgency, it seems to have not been a pleasant one." He shouted to the group. "_Yalla! Imshe! _We must leave now! Senbi stays here. He is too weak to travel in such a state and it would only slow us down. Everyone else, grab what we need and secure them to your camels."

Gabrielle ran in to say a quick goodbye to her brother and to assure him she and the rest would be all right. "But will you be alright, my brother?"

"Yes, yes. Go! They wait for you. I can take care of myself and I promise to stay out of trouble," he reassured her. "Go now."

She kissed his cheek and ran to the door, picking up and securing her trident to her waist. The group of nine were ready and on their way to Hamunaptra before the sun began to set.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) June 13, 2002  
**The large group, consisting of Gabrielle, Jonathan, Rick, Ardeth, Evelyn, Nefret, Osiris, Alex, and Adom began the journey quite precipitatelyacross the desert plains. They had all started at a gallop, but after a while slowed down the pace. No one had talked, but given the convenient new pace Jonathan and Gabrielle struck into conversation, as did Ardeth and Nefret, and Osiris was occupied with Alex and Adom.

Evelyn used this time to bring her camel abreast with Rick's, "If you don't mind my asking," She spoke up, "What exactly did you see?"

"Well for one, Jonathan's girlfriend's back." He snapped harshly, then berated himself when he saw the look of resentment on his wife's face, "Erm, well, at least I think it was her." He sympathized and brought down his tone, "Well, anyways, it was there, and I also saw, um, someone else..." He trailed off and looked the other way pretending he had something to do, when really Evelyn knew he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

The other person Rick had really seen, was his wife, and an older man he didn't know, but due to the Egyptian garb, he knew it couldn't have been his present wife, but the 'ancient' one he had heard so much about, 'her death or harm could alter the Evelyn I know now' Rick thought, and kept this notion as his driving force to send nine people across the Sahara Desert with him. Including his loved ones, although he wished he didn't have to.

As it turned out, the village was very close to Hamunaptra, and the group made it there within the afternoon. Evelyn was stunned at the magnificence of the statues and buildings, the ruins did absolutely no justice, neither did artist's portrayals. These were the beauties of Egypt, and it didn't take a scholar, nor archeologist to appreciate their size and charm.

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) June 13, 2002  
**They could see the village rising from the sand, its beauty glittering clearly though they were a few minutes from reaching it. Gabrielle and Jonathan had been taking up the back of the train of camels, until recently, when Jonathan traded with Alex, leaving Alex alone in the back with Gabrielle.

Alex and Gabrielle didn't talk for a few moments, and Gabrielle could feel Alex looking at her, though she tried to ignore it. The silence was broken when Alex blurted out, "I saw you and Jonathan kiss. That means you have to marry him right?"

Gabrielle took a few minutes to nearly die from laughing, but after she composed herself she just looked at the boy, trying to make a straight face. "Well…heh, there's a little more to it there Alex."

And he looked like he thoroughly understood, he nodded and leaned in towards her on the camel, and she leaned in to hear his whisper, "Oh...you're talking about.." His voice got even lower, "sex aren't you?"

This time Gabrielle nearly died from a coughing fit. "Excuse me! Alex, how old are you kid?"

"I'm smart for my age."

"Obviously."

"So…"

"Alex this isn't exactly something you discuss with a five year old."

"I'm nine!"

"Alright sorry, nine year old…."

Alex just gave her a look, and she tried to ignore him again, but the feeling of him staring at her, even when she wasn't looking at him irritated her. "ISIS Alex! You must drive your parent's crazy!"

The boy smiled proudly, a 'that's what I do best' look on his face. "Now tell me." He said.

Gabrielle sighed, "What exactly do you want to know?"

Alex rolled his eyes as if she should know exactly what he was talking about, "If you and Jonathan have-"

"SHHHH! Blimey Alex, I don't want your parent's to know we're even having this discussion." Gabrielle hissed.

"Soo?" Alex asked, not fazed by her demands to lower his voice.

"No. No we haven't. Almost…but not quite."

"How do you almost-"

"ALRIGHT that's enough! I've had enough of this conversation, new topic please." Gabrielle pronounced, and Alex could see a hint of embarrassment in her red cheeks. Just to prove she didn't want to talk about it, she turned a bit on her camel.

"Okay, okay…don't get peevish."

Awkward silence.

"I do hope Jonathan marries you though."

And Gabrielle finally turned to look at him, smiling widely. "I hope so too."

Jonathan turned around on his camel suddenly and shot Gabrielle a puzzled look, and for a horrific moment she thought he might have heard everything they had been talking about. "What are you talking about back there?"

**Desiree- June 17, 2002  
**"Nothing!" Gabrielle glared at Alex fleetingly and rode up next to Jonathan.

"All right!" Jonathan smiled and took Gabrielle's hand. Gabrielle's tension was swept away by the amazingly cute man riding along next to her. Alex, feeling very pleased with himself for annoying Gabrielle, galloped up to Adom.

"I swear, those two are meant for each other." Evie smiled to herself.

"Who? Jonathan and Gabrielle?" Rick looked questioningly at Evie.

"Oh, well, them too..."

"Well, who are meant for each other? Nefret and Ardeth?" Rick was confused.

"Yeah, no- I, uh, actually meant Alex and Adom." Did Rick really believe her?

"Alex and Adom?" Rick had a look that said _What? _on it.

"Yeah!" She couldn't help it anymore- Evie started laughing hysterically. "You're so gullible! Of course Nefret and Ardeth! Although, Alex and Adom and Jonathan and Gabrielle are too."

"Ah, you meant Ardeth and Nefret- that makes more sense. Oh shut up- stop giggling!" Rick's annoyance just made Evie laugh harder, so Rick leaned over and smacked Evie on the bottom.

"AH! Rick!" Now it was Rick's turn to laugh as Evie almost knocked herself out of her own saddle. "Ugh!"

Rick, who was still laughing, addressed the whole group, "All right! Everybody gather round." Rick looked up at the sun, _It's getting late _he thought.

"Ok, listen up." Rick looked at the people in the circle around him. Ardeth stood on his right side- _Ha! My right hand man, _he thought, next to Ardeth stood Nefret looking around curiously, Evie was mounted next to Nefret, then Gabrielle, then Jonathan holding Gabrielle's hand, then Alex, then Adom, and finally- on his left side, was Osiris. "This is what's gonna happen..."

* * *

"Alex, Adom! Hurry up." Evie whispered just in case there was someone nearby who might hear them. "Gabrielle, Nefret- it's time. Nefret, let's go." 

"Good luck."

"Thanks." Evie and Gabrielle embraced each other. Nefret nodded at Gabrielle and waved as Evie and Nefret started slinking away. Evie looked around the courtyard cautiously. "Nefret? How are we going to find the Golden Book of Amun-Ra? I don't even know where to start looking!"

"Well, we've got to start somewhere! Let's try the main entrance courtyard- maybe it's there somewhere."

"Yeah, all right. Let's go." Evelyn and Nefret started walking over to the courtyard under shadow, until suddenly they found they were out in the open. "Shit! Hurry- let's get out of here. I don't like being out in the open." But, before they could flee, the two women heard a man yell out.

"Hey! Who are you! What're you doing here!"

"RUN!"

Both women turned to run, but instead they ran into a sturdy man who grabbed at them and secured Evie, but Nefret got away. Two more guards came up and tried to tackle Nefret, but she was too quick for them. Nefret quickly grabbed the trident Gabrielle had leant to her from her belt, and jumped up to face the recovering guards.

"Get her!" The first guard unsheathed his sword and ran at Nefret, trying to disorient her. Nefret was too skilled to fall for that, so she sidestepped him and the guard was soon sprawled out on the ground. Nefret kicked his sword out of the way. The second guard started after Nefret, sword drawn. The guard on the ground started to sit up and was on his knees when Nefret ran over his back and sent herself flying straight towards the second guard's head. Her foot made contact, but the guard's hands went flying for Nefret's feet in a feeble attempt to protect his face. This in turn caused Nefret to flip over and hit her head on the falling guard's knee. The first guard claimed his sword and started towards Nefret's bare neck.

"Wait! Wait. Nephthys may have some use for them. Wake up Soreis and we'll take these girls over to the main hall. We may get some reward. Wait, hit this one for me- she keeps squirming." During the whole fight, Evie had been kicking and struggling, and after hearing the comment, she kicked and screamed harder, but it was pointless, the first guard punched her in the head. "You didn't have to knock her out!" Evie went limp in the man's arms, and right before blacking out, she thought, _I hope the boys are doing better than we are_.

* * *

"AH! Damn It!" 

"Rick! Don't yell! What's the matter?" Ardeth walked over to his upset friend.

"It's Evie and Nefret! They've been caught!" Ardeth looked alarmed and followed Rick's gesture to see Nefret and Evelyn both lying unconscious and tied to a post in the back of the room. Nefret was bleeding from the head.

"Nefret!"

"Evie!" Jonathan stood up.

"Sit down! Shut up! You wanna get us caught! We'll get them back, don't worry." Osiris addressed both Jonathan and Ardeth. "I just can't imagine where Seti and Nefertiri are. I haven't seen them yet." Osiris looked anxious.

"You're right. It's ok. Look! It's Bonnie! Get down!" Rick pulled all the men down to the ground with him.

"...and take them inside! Put them with Seti and Nefertiri. I need to concentrate." The guards bent down and picked up the unconscious women. After a moment, Bonnie walked in after them.

Rick watched the guards and later Bonnie walk towards the same room that he had been in before Alex was born. "The same fuckin' room. It never fails!" he turned to the other three men, "All right. We've all got people we love in there. Let's not screw this up. Jonathan, you go around and cover us- also, look for the Golden Book. That's the only way to kill her. Osiris, Ardeth, you two come with me, and we'll get our girls back. Let's go."

The men nodded, and they all went on their ways. Jonathan turned to go in a room and around the, as he liked to call it, "Un- Mummification Room." Jonathan laughed at his own joke and turned to see the other three sneaking in to follow Bonnie. _I can't believe I once thought I loved her. Gabrielle is so much better than she could ever be. _The thought of Gabrielle made him realize how relieved he had been that Rick had told her to stay with Alex and Adom. He had said that she was still too weak from her wound, but the real reason was that she was related to Beni. Jonathan didn't mind- if she had gone, she'd be right there next to his sister, or worse... Jonathan shuddered at the thought of Gabrielle dead,_ I've already been through that once, I won't let it happen again- I love her too much_. _Is that the Golden Book? _Jonathan was startled by the sudden appearance of the book.

"Well, that was easy." Jonathan walked across the room and picked up the book. He was glad he'd been working on his Egyptian, he would need it to read the ancient symbols. "Huh! There's the key! This is almost too easy!" He paused and his hand hung in midair. _Wait, this is much too easy. I've got to be careful. The key's probably booby-trapped or something. Pick it up slowly and carefully. _Jonathan put down the Golden Book next to his feet and drew his sword. He leaned forward carefully and picked up the key. He stood silent and motionless for about a minute. _I think it's safe- try opening it now. Man, I'm bossy! _Jonathan tentatively opened the key, and when, after five minutes, nothing happened, he got up and walked away- upset with himself for being so paranoid. He quickly opened the book and found the right verse for making Bonnie mortal, then pocketed the key in case he'd need it later.


	17. Batch 17

Thanks for the review, Melissa!

* * *

**Marion (****pen name GiantPygmyGirl****) June 21, 2002  
**Nefret awoke to a dull throbbing in her head that grew steadily worse the more she came to. She knew she was going to be sick before it happened so she pulled against her bonds and leaned out as far as she could from the pole which she was tied to and proceeded to throw up.

The noise of her becoming ill must have woken Evelyn up because she heard her groan not long afterwards. Then, Evelyn proceeded to do the same as Nefret and soon both of them were heaving up their guts onto the hard floor before them.

"They must have given us something," Nefret said sputtering in ancients Egyptian.

"Yeah, I am beginning to agree with you." Evie choked out before another spasm shook her. "This is too weird for us to both have it."

"Great, this is _just_ great! How are we going to get out of this?" The younger woman asked.

"If only Ardeth and Rick would come." Evie replied dreamily. "Then they would make things much easier."

Nefret's eyes brightened at the thought of Ardeth but her voice wavered. "You, you do think they will come for us, don't you?" Evie could hear just the smallest bit of fright behind Nefret's question.

"Dear, I think that right now we just need to concentrate on trying to free ourselves, but don't worry, we will be seeing them again, I am sure of it." Evelyn wished she could reach out and hold the distraught woman in her arms, but the bonds were too tight, and she could barely move. "Why don't we talk about our loved ones to pass the time..." Evie was trying to get Nefret to open up to her a little, knowing that it would do her good. She needed someone to talk to besides Ardeth, someone who could speak her language fluently.

"Ok, I suppose that might help somewhat." Nefret agreed, knowing that she could trust Evelyn in the way that she could trust her own mother. _She has done nothing but guide on this trip anyway so I don't see any harm._ Nefret thought. There was a short pause before she began to speak. "When I first saw Ardeth this feeling, almost a mood really, overcame me, took my body hostage. I could not move; it was as though my feet were stuck to the ground." Evelyn nodded, knowing the feeling all too well. "I saw him kiss the sand before him as he got off of your ship, and I sensed our destiny in that one movement. I wonder now if that is possible, to know at first sight that you and someone else were meant to be, together, and for each other. It's almost incomprehensible. And since then we have grown closer. I feel that if I do not see him I will melt into a little puddle on the ground and be absorbed by the sun and cease to exist. Ardeth is so caught up by his duty, it's amazing, it's admirable, it's absolutely perfect, because it's him!"

"Yes! Dear you have him exactly right!" Evelyn watched in wonder as Nefret's face lit up before her. She knew what she was feeling, for she had been there before. She continued to listen to Nefret because she saw that it was bringing her joy, and Evie was content to do just that, reliving the feeling, the aura, and the power of true Love.

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) June 24, 2002  
**Nefret shook her head at the words coming out of her mouth. A few weeks ago, she would never have revealed such feelings, even to herself. She spoke again to her companion. "I once viewed such emotions as a weakness in ones character, but I actually feel stronger and more alive since meeting Ardeth. I do believe that I have fallen in…"

Evie was on pins and needles listening to Nefret's confession that she did not hear what Nefret heard. "Yes? Go on!"

"Shh!" Nefret whispered. "I hear something. Someone's here." Again, there was a noise. "Who's there?" Nefret called out. "I demand you show yourself!"

They heard feet rushing over and a hand came over Nefret's mouth.

"Shhh! Quite or you'll alert the guards!"

Nefret shook her head in understanding and her mouth was free again. "You must be Nefertiri. Amazing. You're almost an exact copy of Evie," she whispered.

"Yes, I am Nefertiri. Who are you? How do you know me? Who is this Evie person?" Nefertiri had a hundred questions for this new prisoner, but she decided to stop until she had the first three answered. She drew her dagger, which she had hidden under her skirts and proceeded to cut the ropes.

"I am Nefret. I have only seen you from a distance, but I've been told by the others in my group that you look exactly like Evie, so I only assumed. If you have freed yourself, why are you still here? Why have you not left this place?" The ropes broke free and she and Evie stood up, rubbing their wrists.

Evie still had her back to Nefertiri. She was afraid of how Nefertiri would react to her, and frankly, she was darn scared herself to see her past life form.

"I cannot leave my father. This place is damp and dirty and my father has fallen ill. At first, I refused to leave him, but he has convinced me that there will be no other way to save him. I was about to be on my way when I heard the guards bringing you two in here." She paused, looking at the back of the other person who had not yet spoken, then back to Nefret. "Who is your friend and who is this Evie person you spoke of?"

Evie slowly turned around with her face down. She raised her head and looked at Nefertiri. "I'm Evie, the one she spoke of." Nefertiri looked over to Evie and as soon as their eyes met, Evie had to grasp the pole for balance.

It seemed Evie was more prepared for this meeting than Nefertiri. Nefret watched as Nefertiri turned ghost white, then jumped to catch her as she went into a dead faint.

"I had a feeling that would happen," Evie said.

**Rachel (****pen name Evie of the Nile****) July 2, 2002  
**Nefret lifted Nefertiri into her arms and she and Evelyn headed down the passageway Nefertiri had come from.

"First thing's first, we need to find Ardeth...and Rick," she added hastily when Evie shot her a glance, "And we need to tell them all that we know."

"I agree" Evelyn said.

"I guess we can..." Nefret stopped to shift Nefertiri's weight and grunted. "...we can come up with a plan from there."

"Why don't you try waking her up?" Evelyn suggested.

"Right," Nefret agreed and swiftly dropped the princess on the ground.

"That was rather harsh!" Evelyn thought out loud.

"And it worked," Came the response from the ground, Nefertiri shook her head before reaching out and taking Evie's hand for support when she got back up. The two stood, mouths agape for a moment as they stared at each other, sort of 'sizing' each other up. "Why are you here?" Nefertiri finally asked.

"Long story short, do you know the High Priest Imhotep?" To this the princess rolled her eyes.

"Do I know him? He's the reason why we're here!"

"Yes I know," Evie cut in, this was going to be a long story if she let the princess cut in with her thoughts, Evelyn could tell already that she had a lot of them to which she demanded answers. "Well I think he's the reason why we're here now. I'm not exactly sure though. It could also be because of Seth and...and...what was her name?" She turned to Nefret who was casually leaning against a wall.

"Nephthys" She offered.

"Yes, that's it!"

"You mean...Nephthys was here... she's back?" Nefertiri asked dumbfounded.

"Why, what's the problem...we killed her, and the man." Nefret said.

"No, you see," was Nefertiri's grave reply, "Five years ago, we killed her too."

**Desiree - July 4, 2002  
**"All right, everybody got it? We're gonna go in, scope the situation, and on Osiris's signal, we're attacking. Let's just hope Jonathan's got the Golden Book, or this could be a long night. Ok, Ardeth?" Rick attempted to get Ardeth's attention.

"Yes, Rick?" Ardeth's concentration had been slipping back to Nefret- he hoped she was ok.

"Don't worry, Nefret can take care of herself, and she's got Evie with her. She'll be fine. What we need to worry about is Bonnie, ahem, _Nephthys." _

"Yes, yes, you are right. Let us concentrate on the immediate situation. The first thing we must do is free Seti and Nefertiri. They mustescape at once. Gabrielle will meet us at the outside pillars and take them to safety. Now, how are we to free Evelyn and Nefret?"

"I don't know, but whatever we do, we've gotta do it soon. Let's go- now, no talking. Osiris, on your signal we move out."

"Ok, let's go." Osiris slinked out in front of Rick and Ardeth, but the two were soon to follow. They snuck up to the entrance to the room, and looked in to see their surroundings.

"Look! It's Seti! But, where is Nefertiri?" Osiris looked around wildly.

"Where's Evie?"

"Where's Nefret? What do we do now?" Ardeth was worried.

"We must get Seti. He looks ill. Let us go." Osiris started into the room, where there were seemingly no guards.

"Why aren't there any guards? Where are they? This isn't looking good." Rick looked around, paranoid and worried. The three men finally reached Seti, who looked extremely battered and weary.

"Seti? Sir, are you ok? We must get you out of here. Can you stand?" Osiris was attending to the pharaoh while Ardeth and Rick looked around for any sign of danger. "Rick? We need to get these shackles off of him."

Rick looked down and saw the pharaoh's hands cuffed to the wall. "Ardeth- let me borrow your sword." The pharaoh looked up, alarmed. "Ah, sir, don't worry. I'm an excellent shot. Most of the time." The last sentence was mumbled and incomprehensible to the surrounding men. While Rick was setting up for the blow to the chain, Osiris attempted to side-track him from the sword coming down between his wrists.

"Where is Nefertiri? Why is she not chained here with you?" Just at that moment, Rick swung the sword down, and Seti's hands sprang apart. Rick nodded his head with a cocky smile, and returned Ardeth's sword.

Seti looked very relieved to still have his hands, and he turned to answer Osiris's question, "She left about an hour ago because we had heard a noise in the chamber down the hall. Nefertiri went to see what was happening, and she has not yet returned. I hope she has gone, but I doubt it. She unchained herself days ago, and I have been trying to convince her to leave, but she wouldn't do it. She said that she wouldn't leave me here to die." Seti had a pained look on his face.

"Do not worry, we'll get her out of here. But first, we need to get you out of here. Can you walk? There is a person waiting for you at the outside pillars. She will take you to a doctor, and there you will recover your strength. We will follow soon after with Nefertiri." Osiris attempted to help the pharaoh up.

"I think I can walk, but I cannot leave Nefertiri! She is the only daughter I have, I cannot leave her!" Seti just managed to get up.

"Sir, what help do you think you could give her here? She will rest better knowing that you are safe. Osiris, will you help the pharaoh to meet Gabrielle? I'm going after the girls. Ardeth, you come with me. Osiris, once you've delivered Seti to Gabrielle, come back and help us. Ok, let's go." The men started out in their separate ways. Rick stopped and turned around; he felt like an idiot for not asking before. "Seti? Which way is the room, and why aren't there any guards?"

"Well, the room is that way," Seti pointed in the opposite direction of the entrance, "And the guards left this room not long before Nefertiri left. They must have gotten some new prisoners, because it was _awfully_ careless of them to leave us unguarded." At that, Seti laughed and Osiris nodded to Rick as they turned away to meet Gabrielle; Seti was limping uncontrollably.

"Awfully," Rick didn't like this. Those new prisoners were undoubtedly Evie and Nefret.

While Rick was still in thought, Ardeth started towards the other room, "Rick? Let's go! There is no time to waste!" Rick jolted out of his transfixed stage, and jogged after Ardeth to catch up.

The two were just coming around the corner when they smacked right into three women.

"Evie!" "Rick!" and at the same time, "Nefret!" "Ardeth!" The couples all looked at each other in relief and started hugging, but they were all soon distracted by a heart-wrenching scream that tore out of the princess, Nefertiri. They all looked up just in time to see an ax heading straight towards Nefertiri. Rick grabbed the princess's arm to pull her out of the way, but the ax nipped his shoulder as it went by. Ardeth drew his sword just as a dozen or more guards came stampeding towards the group. Evie, Nefret, and Nefertiri were slower to react. Evie grabbed a spear from the wall, Nefret pulled a sword from a statue's sheath, and Nefertiri grabbed her specialty, knives, from another statue's waist.

"Rick!" Evie jumped in front of her husband just as the man tried to stab him on the ground. Evie worked the spear around the sword and quickly stabbed the man in the chest. The man dropped his sword and staggered away with the spear still sticking out of his ribs. Evelyn picked up the dropped sword and ran in to fight with one of the men that was ganging up on Nefertiri.

Nefertiri relaxed a little as her clone, Evelyn, relieved her of the second man. The guard she was fighting sensed this change, and charged in on Nefertiri. Startled by the charge, Nefertiri struck out randomly and both her knives and the man's sword were flung away. She recovered quickly and brought her leg straight up into the air and swung it back down with all her might onto the man's head. Her kick struck, and the man slumped and was down for the count. Nefertiri saw that the Egyptian man had two men fighting him, so she went in to stab the second man after she had once again picked up the knives, but the man sensed her there and turned around before she could penetrate his skin. The man jumped out of the way, and Nefret backed up into the Egyptian stranger just as he killed the man he was fighting by putting the end of his sword into the guard's neck.

"Where is my father!" Nefertiri had to yell over all the sword-clanging. Just as she asked the question, the enemy thrust his sword in their direction. Nefertiri thought she was done for, but right before it struck, Ardeth glanced it's blow with his sword. Nefertiri took this opportunity to stab both her knives into the man's rib cage.

Just as the defeated guard slumped to the floor, dead, Ardeth said, "He is with a friend of ours. She will take him to a doctor so that he may rest and recover. Osiris went with him to meet our friend. We have come a long way to get you, and we will meet him as soon as we can, **if** we can ever get out of here!"

"Why are you guys just standing and talking! We could use a little help over here!" Nefret had just downed another guard, and was heading over to fight another when she turned to speak sarcastically to the two. Ardeth smiled and went to stand next to his loved ones, all of them. Nefertiri followed, and they all gathered round Rick to protect the still bleeding man. Just as the guards were closing in on the outnumbered group- fighting dearly for each others lives- a shot rang out, and a guard fell dead to the ground. Rick stood up with two pistols in his hand, and he started to shoot all the guards. The startled men backed up and turned to run because of this new and deadly danger. What was this thing that made much noise and killed so easily?

"Let's get out of here." Rick had stood up and was leaning on his wife for support. The entire group staggered out of the hallway, and towards the entrance. Just as they were reaching the outside pillars, the group met with Osiris. "Osiris? Where the hell have you been!"

"I am sorry, Seti passed out, and I had to help Gabrielle load him onto the camel. She and the children are headed back to Senbi's hut. We are to meet them there as soon as we can. Nefertiri!" Osiris had just noticed Nefertiri standing ragged next to Ardeth and Nefret. He ran up to her and took her in his arms. She hugged him back gratefully and the two kissed momentarily.

Evelyn smiled and Rick cleared his throat, "There'll be plenty of time for that later. Ok, who here is hurt?"

"I am. One of those damned guards sliced my waist. It's not too bad, but I can't stand up straight." Nefret's side was pretty well bloodied up, and Ardeth looked extremely concerned.

"Ok, Nefret rides back with me. I can't stay, I'll bleed to death with this arm. Anyone else? Evie, are you ok?" Rick looked down at his wife who was tearing the cloth on her shirt to bandage Rick's arm.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. You and Nefret go on. Take Nefertiri with you- she'll want to be with her father, and make sure he's all right. I'll stay here. We need to find Jonathan- where is he by the way? Looking for the book I suppose?" At Rick's nod, Evelyn continued, "Right, Osiris, you go looking for Jonathan. Ardeth? You and I will go looking for Nephthys. I have a bone to pick with her."

"All right. It's all settled. Nefret, Nefertiri, come with me. We'll head back to Senbi's. The rest of you, good luck. Now, let's get going. Osiris, where are the rest of the camels?" As Osiris led the way to the camels, the rest followed, except for Ardeth, who pulled Nefret to stay behind with him.

"Nefret, I've wanted to do this ever since I first saw you..." Ardeth took Nefret's head in his hands, and kissed her full on the mouth. A minute later, dazed, the two stood hugging each other. "I love you, I always have."

"Oh, Ardeth." Nefret laughed, "I love you, too... Now... come back to me alive, damn you."

Ardeth smiled and kissed her again, "You can have no doubt of that." Ardeth took off his head wrap, and wrapped it gently but securely around her ribs to try to stop the bleeding. Ardeth finished his bandaging, and kissed Nefret one more time, "Now, go."

Nefret walked over to the camels in time to see Evelyn and Rick breaking their kiss, and Rick getting on his camel. Nefertiri was already on her camel, but she was leaning down to kiss Osiris, who was on the ground. Nefret giggled; she wasn't the only one to get a kiss goodbye.

"We'll see you again soon. Good luck. Kick some immortal ass!" The party turned and started out back towards Senbi's hut.

After a minute or so of watching the party ride away, Osiris broke the silence by addressing what needed to now be done. "Ok, let's go. We need to find your brother, Jonathan. Hopefully, he'll have found the Golden Book by now."

"Well, knowing Jonathan, he's probably having a drink or stealing some gold." The three remaining laughed, a nice relief to the tension they were feeling. They were all worried about the ones they loved, but not nearly as worried as their loved ones were about them. No one had wanted to leave, but they had to and they knew it.

"Everything will be ok. I can feel it." Evie tried to take comfort from her own words, but it proved more difficult than she expected. As the three turned to find Jonathan, Evie had one last thought. It was, we're all gonna sit back and laugh about this someday. That thought, somehow, cheered her up.


	18. Batch 18

Thanks for the review, Cookie044! Here's the next batch!

**

* * *

**

**Sheri (pen name Lucky Fannah) July 9, 2002  
**Meanwhile, back in the Un-Mummification Room ...

Jonathan was sitting on the floor trying to decipher the Gold Book. Lost in concentration, Jonathan didn't hear the five guards creep up behind him until it was too late.

"What the ... who's there?" was all Jonathan could say before two guards grabbed him by each arm and yanked him to his feet. "Uh, maybe we can discuss this...?"

The leader of the group was very tall and elaborately dressed. He hooked his arm around Jonathan's neck and pulled Jon to him tightly while another guard grabbed the Book off the floor. In Egyptian, the man spoke in Jon's ear.

"Stop struggling, small one, or I will surely crush the air from your lungs." Still squirming and not understanding the words fast enough elicited a swift kick from another guard right into Jonathan's abdomen. Jonathan tried to double over from the pain but was held fast by his captors.

"You bastard!" Jonathan was trying to catch his breath, his chest heaving from the pain and lack of air. The leader grabbed a handful of Jonathan's hair and yanked his head back.

"I have not given you permission to speak! How dare you!" Still holding Jonathan very tightly, the great man began to squeeze his arms even tighter around Jonathan.

The pain was almost too much to bear. A rib cracked before Jonathan passed out from the lack of air in his lungs. The man then gathered Jonathan up in his arms like a father would a child, cradling him in his arms and proceeded to the throne room where Nephthys waited.

* * *

"Omin! I asked you not to kill him!" "What is wrong with him?" 

"Your majesty, he was not cooperating, he is merely unconscious." Omin gently placed Jonathan on the floor at Nephthys' feet.

"Ah... well done! This allows me to have a little fun with my boy toy before watching him die by my hands! Strip him to the waist and tie him to this pillar to my right!"

Omin quickly did as his majesty asked and soon Jonathan was placed on his knees with his hands tied tightly around the pillar. His back was bear and Nephthys could not keep from caressing the muscles in her captive's back and upper arms.

"Omin, bring me the whip!"

* * *

Osiris slowly made his way through the palace in his quest for Jonathan. Avoiding the guards was not presenting to be a problem and Osiris was able to take his time in his search. 

What he saw next almost brought him to his knees. He saw a guard walking his way holding what was most definitely the shirt Jonathan had been wearing. Where he was going, Osiris did not know, but when a very tall and muscular man passed him with a leather whip, Osiris took no time in sizing up the situation. Feeling he would need help from Ardeth and Evie, Osiris began to search for them.

Almost as soon as he turned around, he saw the glint of a sword about 20 feet away. His glance traveled up to who was holding it. It was Evie and there with her was Ardeth Bey.

Stealthily, Osiris joined them and told them of what he saw. Evie gasped. "Oh, no! If they hurt my brother..." Her words were cut off when Ardeth placed his hand on Evie's shoulder and squeezed.

"Evelyn, we will get him to safety, I assure you."

* * *

Back at Senbi's, Gabrielle was tending to Rick's shoulder wound. Rick was doing his best to stay conscious while the deep cut was cleaned. Seti was helping tend Nefertiri's wound as best he could. Gabrielle was on her way to give more poultice to Seti when she collapsed on the ground in agony. 

"Oh! No!" Her back was killing her. It was as if she were being flogged! Images of Jonathan tied up and being whipped flashed in her mind. Just as quickly as the pain appeared, it disappeared. Seti came over to Gabrielle and helped her to her feet.

"Are you okay, my dear? What can I do to help you?"

Gabrielle bit back a sob and told Seti what she saw and felt. Seti was taken aback and his face paled. "I had a horrible vision earlier today of my son, Ramesses II, being whipped and tortured."

"He is my most-loved son and has been away for a year now training in Karnak! I fear for his life! Could it be that our visions are related?"

Gabrielle locked eyes with Seti. "Oh, yes! These visions are related. For you see ... Jonathan, my love and Evie's brother is the reincarnated Ramesses II!"

Senbi had just finished patching Nefret's wound and Alex was helping him. When Gabrielle fell to the floor, they both ran over to her. Alex couldn't help but hear what Gabrielle told Seti. "Has something happened to my Uncle Jon?"

Senbi put a steady hand on Alex's shoulder and reassured him. "Why don't you go get your Dad comfortable so he can rest now. Gabrielle cleaned his wound and stopped the bleeding. He should rest before I sew the wound closed."

With that, Alex made his way over to his father and did as Senbi asked.

Seti sat on a soft pillow on the floor and motioned Senbi and Gabrielle to do the same. Calmly, Seti told them of a legend that once brought the downfall of Nephthys 500 years before Seti's time.

In the legend, it was said a brother and sister of royal blood were needed together to break the curse and send Nephthys back to the Underworld. "You said Jonathan and Evie are brother and sister, correct?" Gabrielle nodded. "And of course Nefertiri and Ramesses II are brother and sister..."

Senbi's eyes lit up. "What are you saying, your Highness?"

"Then this brother and sister of the future must together bring about the final end of Nephthys!"

**Heidi Rittner (****pen name JasmineHR****) July 24, 2002  
**Osiris, Ardeth, and Evie quietly made their way from behind the ancient pillars and statues towards the voice of Nephthys. Osiris was in the lead, keeping one ahead and checking around each corner before giving Ardeth and Evie the hand signal that would tell them that all was clear. Osiris looked around the corner to the hallway of the throne room. Only one of Nephthys' men stood guard outside the door. It was the man he had seen before and he still had Jonathan's shirt in his fist. Osiris looked to Ardeth, signaling them to stay.

Evie watched the exchange of hand signals. "What's wrong? Why have we stopped?"

"The throne room is just around that corner," Ardeth nodded his head towards the direction. "It is being guarded. We need to take care of him as quietly as possible. We do not want to alert Nephthys or her other guards."

"What can I do to help?"

"Whatever happens, stay hidden here. If something should happen to Osiris and myself, you will need to go back to Gabrielle's brother's house to alert the others."

Evie nodded and prepared herself. She peaked from behind their current hiding place, watching Osiris.

Osiris looked at his surroundings while thinking of a plan. He needed to make a noise loud enough for the one guard to hear, but quiet enough so that it would not be heard by the others inside the throne room. He took a coin from his coin purse and held it in his open palm as he continued to look around. Unfortunately, the dirt walls and floor would not make much of a sound, so his aim had to be accurate. There was a small gold statue of Horus perched on a pillar directly across from him. It could also be seen from the guard's viewpoint and would spark his curiosity. Osiris looked down at the coin in his palm and tossed it up and down in his hand to get the weight of it. He took aim and threw the coin, missed and watch as the coin bounced off the wall to land next to the pillar. He drew another coin, once again weighing it in his hands and taking aim. This time, the coin hit the statue, making a clanging noise. Osiris immediately shrank back into the shadows to wait for his prey.

Omin stood outside the throne room door mumbling to himself. _Omin, go fetch the man. Omin, go fetch me the whip…_ He continued to mumble. He was sick and tired of the Nephthys woman giving him orders. She had promised him enough gold so that he would be able to do as he pleased for the rest of his life, but he had not gotten a single coin. Now she assigned him to guard the door. He was highly offended at being given the job of a simpleminded slave. _So what if I hurt the little man? At least I didn't kill him_. His brooding was interrupted by a small clang. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw two round objects in the sand reflecting the torch lights. He looked back at the door. _Bah! So what if I leave my post for a while. No one will come for the man anyway. They've all left._

He made his way slowly to the statue, keeping an eye out for intruders. As soon as he made out the two round figures to be gold coins, his greed overrode his caution. He threw Jonathan's shirt to the ground and rushed the rest of the way over to pick up the coins. _Finally some gold coins! Now where did they come from?_ He heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and quickly turned around grabbing for his sword, but it was too late. Osiris quickly quieted the man from alarming the other guards by putting a quick end to the guard's life.

Osiris looked back and saw Ardeth standing ready with his sword in hand in case he needed Ardeth's help. Osiris signaled him over. "Quick. Help me drag the body to the shadows where I was standing. We want them to think he has wondered off in case anyone leaves the room."

Ardeth nodded and they completed the task. Osiris signaled for Evie to join them. She picked up Jonathan's discarded shirt on her way over.

Osiris continued with his next plan. "Now we reach the most difficult part. They are behind those closed doors. We do not know how many guards she has in there with her, where they are all standing, or exactly where Jonathan is in the room. We must be careful. Here is my plan. Ardeth. You…" He stopped as they heard the crack of a whip, followed by Jonathan's muffled cry of pain.

Evie could feel the anger rising in her. She felt as if it was radiating out of her pours. _How dare she? That is the last straw!_ "I'm going to kill that bitch."

Before Osiris or Ardeth could stop her, she took off in big strides towards the closed door.

"Evie, wait!"

Again, the crack of whip and muffled cry.

Evie stopped and quickly turned toward Osiris and Ardeth. "I don't care if she had her own bloody Army of Anubis! If I had to, I'd go through all of them to get to her!"

She burst through the door and immediately saw her brother with two bloody whip marks on his back. She then looked up to Nephthys. When their eyes locked, Nephthys took a step back. She felt as if she was punched in the gut. She could feel Evie's power and anger radiating full force. Nephthys held up her hand to stop the guards from attacking.

Nephthys raised her chin in defiance as she spoke. "So. You've come for your brother, have you? I'm sorry, but you won't be leaving with him."

Jonathan raised his head to look at his sister and let her know that he was all right. He could see her becoming more and more angry and she seemed to have a glow of power around her. He'd never seen anything like it.

Nephthys looked down at Jonathan and caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers. "I've decided to keep him for my amusement. If you want him back, you'll have to go through me." She looked back at Evie.

Evie looked straight back at her and could see the fear in Nephthys' eyes while she gave her answer. "Gladly."

**Milo (****pen name milo-n-vaughn****) August 9, 2002  
**Nephthys gave a nervous laugh and looked to one of her guards, "Take Jonathan to my chambers..." She then glanced back at Evie, "I don't want him witnessing his sisters death...could prove to be very traumatic." She sneered.

The guard gave a grunt of agreement and untied Jonathan, gruffly dragging him out of a nearby door. Evie tore her eyes from her brother the moment he was out of the door but it was too late, the only thing she saw was Nephthys' foot colliding with her cheekbone. Falling to the hard ground, Evelyn barely caught herself with her hands, then looked up from the ground at Nephthys and glared, wiping blood from her lip.

"Bring it on." Evie growled, standing up.

* * *

The guard hadn't even bothered tying Jonathan up in Nephthys' chambers. It was pointless anyway, there were no windows in the beautifully decorated room. Well...there were on the ceiling, but how could he get up there? So the guard just tossed the bleeding Jonathan on the bed and locked the door when he left, eager to witness the fight between the man's sister and Nephthys. 

Jonathan was conscious, but barely. He'd never hurt so much in his life. He couldn't even open his eyes when he heard tapping outside of the room. Feeling as if he really wouldn't mind dying right then and there he didn't even try to see the calamity going on around him.

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't touch it yet!" A man hissed from somewhere.

"Buggar!" A distinctly female voice yelled from what seemed to be above him. There was a sound like shattering glass and then the creak of the door hinges swinging open.

"What! How did you get-" The guard's voice exclaimed, but was suddenly cut off. He heard the door creak again and softly shut, then felt a slight breeze against his pained skin as the bed moved. Someone had sat down next to him and he felt a hand against his forehead, brushing his hair back from his face.

Something hit the floor then the sound of footsteps moved towards the bed. "He looks horrible." A male voice commented.

"Jonathan...Jon..." He could tell now that the woman was touching his forehead and calling his name. "Jon can you hear me?"

Suddenly Jonathan realized who the woman was. He couldn't believe that he hadn't recognized her voice, then realized how screwed up his head must be. "Gabrielle?" He whispered hoarsely, trying to open his eyes.

The vision of her sitting there looking down on him was fuzzy at first, but soon he could see the concern in her features. "There you are darling." She said, smiling at him reassuringly.

"By Jove...I never thought I'd see you again." Jonathan replied with a weak grin, finding himself short on breath when he spoke.

She laughed, and Jonathan glanced over her shoulder to see Olympus, who had been missing for quite some time, standing over her. His eyes quickly reverted back to Gabrielle though as she spoke, "Well you just got lucky I guess." She smiled that beautiful smile and kissed him quickly. "Now let's get you out of here."


	19. Batch 19

Well, here's the last entry of the first Mummy Fanfic Chain! Sorry for the delay in getting this posted but life and responsibilities had taken over for a while. We'd like to thank all the readers for the reviews and for sticking with us. I will start posting The Mummy Fanfic Chain 2 very soon, so keep an eye out for it!

* * *

**Desiree- August 10, 2002  
**"Ardeth." 

"What!"

Ardeth swung around in surprise at the quiet voice behind his ear.

"Watch it!" Ardeth hadn't even realized that he'd drawn his sword, "It's Olympus. Allah!"

"Olympus! Where have you been? We could have used your help." Ardeth numbly replaced his sword in its sheath.

"Not now. Gabrielle is taking Jonathan to Senbi's. I am here to help you kill Nephthys. Now, where is the Golden Book?"

"Over there, next to the throne. See it?" Olympus murmured his reply as he saw the ancient book. Ardeth was pointing across the golden room to the throne Nephthys had been in minutes before. It was amazing how everything in Egypt seemed to be gold: the sand, the rock, the buildings, everything. As the two men looked across the room, they both put to memory the high, Egyptian walls with golden weapons posted around. Not only were the weapons there for decoration, but they were also there in case of attack. The sand floor was smooth in some places, but in others, the sand was disturbed by human tracks. At the opposite end of the room was a large, golden throne surrounded by tables covered with food and refreshments of all kinds. The decorations on the wall were of Egyptian warriors standing their ready to protect the palace from evil.

"Where is Osiris? I know already where everyone else is." Ardeth pointed to a pillar opposite them where Osiris was hiding, "I see. Well, let us help Evelyn as I see that she is struggling. Hopefully, Osiris will get the hint and go for the Book." Ardeth's attention had now been brought back to Evelyn, who was just getting up from being punched in the face by Nephthys.

"All right, let's go." Ardeth and Olympus stealthily raced in, so as not to alert any more guards than necessary.

"Hey!" Ardeth silenced the guard with his sword before he could alert anyone else, but the damage had been done, Nephthys had heard. She walked over to one of the tables by the throne and took up a jar. Murmuring in ancient Egyptian, she poured the inside powder out and blew it into the palace.

"_De-hibyu seht na_!" Nephthys had screamed out the Egyptian order, 'Kill them!' to the many awakened mummies that were now headed their way. When all of this was happening, Evelyn had run to the walls and picked up her favorite weapons, sais. Evelyn had had lots of practice in her former life with sais; she had used them to fight Anck-su-namun many times. Seeing this, Nephthys turned to her throne and took up a spear that was posted above it. The two slowly prowled towards each other. Nephthys started spinning the spear around as she walked forward; in response, Evelyn raised her sais to eyelevel to protect her face and to show Nephthys that she was ready. The two women came within six feet of each other when Nephthys pounced. Evelyn sidestepped her and put her left sais across the spear to deflect the shot. Nephthys recoiled and shot again at Evie's face. Evelyn leaned her head back and put the sais in an X above her head to block the spear. Evie held the spear up with her right sais, and with the left, swiftly cut the spear in half. The end shaft dropped to the ground as Nephthys ran to the wall for a saber. Just as Nephthys turned around, Evie stabbed her in the back, and cut off her leg with the other sais. Nephthys toppled over as Evie went to get the Golden Book. "NO!" Nephthys tried to reach her leg to reconnect it, but Osiris was there to kick it out of the way. He picked up her leg and threw it out the high window so that Nephthys wouldn't be able to walk. Evie ran to the throne, picked up the Golden Book, and threw it over to Osiris who groped Nephthys' robes to find the key, and when he found it, he immediately started flipping the pages to find the one that made Nephthys mortal again. Ardeth and Olympus ran over at just that moment, after defeating six or eight guards who had heard the commotion.

"Whatever happened to those mummies?" Before anyone could consider Evelyn's question, hundreds of mummies came swarming out of the walls; it was an awesome sight.

"Osiris! Keep reading! We'll take care of the mummies! You and Evelyn just take care of Nephthys!" When Olympus had finished his orders, he pulled out a very large gun and started firing away; literally firing away- this was no ordinary gun, it was a fire thrower! Ardeth looked at him in disbelief. "This is what I was doing while I was away!" Ardeth couldn't believe it- Olympus would have had to have gone to the future to get a weapon like that! What on earth? "No time to explain now, my friend! Let us kill some mummies!" Olympus had finished shooting the fire, and most of the mummies were burning. Ardeth raced in and started chopping the mummies in half. Olympus followed and did the same. The two men were gradually chopping the mummies up and piling them into what would become a very big bonfire.

"_Yaht tu wey! Yaht tu wey! Yaht tu wey!_" Osiris was just finishing up the, now almost familiar chant to make a person mortal. The wind came rushing through the room as a set of phosphorescent-blue, running horses pulling a carriage ran through Nephthys and took her immortal soul. Osiris, Olympus, Ardeth, and Evelyn all jumped out of the way as Nephthys screamed out a cry of despair. When the ghouls had gone, Osiris took up Nephthys' fallen saber and stabbed her once through the heart. Olympus followed suit, and withdrew his sword. He stabbed her one time through her ribs and into her liver. Nephthys rolled over onto her side cringing with pain and screaming in agony. Ardeth came up and stabbed Nephthys in the lower back so as to hit one of her kidneys. Convulsing with pain, Evelyn came up to Nephthys with a sword she had gotten from Osiris.

"This is what you get for trying to mess with the O'Connells." With that, Evelyn lifted the sword above her head and swung it down with all her might. The strike made contact with Nephthys' bare neck, and the decapitated head rolled away, staining the golden sand with blood.

After about a minute of standing around staring at the bleeding body, Ardeth coughed and realized that the mummy-fire was spreading. "We must get out of here! The smoke from this fire will suffocate us!" The four adults started running towards the exit only to find that it was cut off by a bunch of burning mummies. They retreated into Nephthys' private chamber.

"We can escape the same way Jonathan and Gabrielle did!"

"Jonathan! Where is he! Olympus! Where is he!" Evelyn had just now realized what danger she and her brother had been in.

"He's fine! Gabrielle and I came to get him. They're on their way back to Senbi's hut. Do not worry. Now, we have to get us out of here. Follow me!" Olympus started running down a hall that had been covered by a large stone. "This hall leads outside where the horses are waiting for us!" Just as Olympus said this, the group reached the outdoors and saw the horses ready and waiting for them. They all mounted their horses quickly and sped off away from the smoky city and away from the newly rising sun.

* * *

"I'm getting worried- it's been over an hour and they're not back yet. We should go and look for them." 

"Yeah, yeah, that sounds good." Both Alex and Adom supported Rick's idea.

"There's not much we can do. You, Jonathan, and Nefret are all injured, Senbi's worthless, Nefertiri has to take care of Nefret, and Alex, Adom and I can't do much good. There's nothing we can do." Gabrielle tried to be practical, but she felt for Rick- he only wanted reassurance that his wife and friends were all right.

"I know, I know. Senbi? How's Nefret?"

"Nefertiri is with her. She's still unconscious, she lost a lot of blood, but she'll be ok." Senbi's medical side came out as he discussed his patient's condition.

"Glad to hear it- Ardeth will be relieved. If he comes back..." Rick turned his head down.

"Rick! Look! It's them! All four of them! Oh! Thank God." Jonathan was quite relieved and would have jumped up for joy if his back hadn't been stinging like a son of a bitch.

Rick looked up in time to see the four riders with the sun behind their backs galloping into camp. Evelyn arrived first, and dismounted so quickly Rick barely had time to realize it before she was in his arms.

"Oh, Rick- I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again. Are you all right? Where's Alex? Is he ok? What about..." Evie never finished her sentence because at that precise moment, Rick kissed her full on the mouth. The two broke their kiss just as Alex came up and tackled Evie. Laughing and rolling on the ground, the two sat up for a family embrace.

Osiris dismounted shortly after Evelyn, and saw Adom running towards him. He bent down to scoop up his son, and as he did so, he saw Senbi go inside and Nefertiri come out.

"Osiris!" Nefertiri ran up to Osiris and hugged him fiercely. Osiris gingerly put down Adom and kissed Nefertiri.

Ardeth and Olympus rode up behind Evelyn and Osiris. Ardeth dismounted and went inside to find Nefret since she wasn't outside. Olympus looked on in mild jealousy at all of these happy couples.

Ardeth walked into the hut and ran smack into Senbi. "Oh, I am sorry. Where is Nefret? Is she all right?"

"She's fine. She lost a lot of blood, and she's still unconscious, but other than that, she's fine." Senbi once again took on his medical voice and air.

"Oh, thank Allah. Where is she? Can I see her?" Ardeth's voice was desperate.

"Yeah, she's just back here. Nefertiri's been looking after her, she should wake up any time now." Senbi showed Ardeth to the bed Nefret was in, and left him to be alone with her.

Ardeth slowly sat down on the bed and brushed Nefret's hair from her face. Nefret stirred, "Ardeth? OH! Ardeth! I'm so happy to see you! Ah, I love you! I was so afraid!"

Ardeth hugged Nefret to him and rocked the shaking woman to his body, "It's all right. I am here. I'm ok. We defeated Nephthys, and the danger is gone. I love you, too." The two just sat there, embracing each other until Ardeth bent down and kissed her.

Alex and Adom, after leaving their parents, joined Seti on the porch. The three looked at each other, then around to the four kissing couples, then back at each other, and then all three rolled their eyes and said, "Puh-lease!"

* * *

"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Rick was still trying to convince Ardeth to go back with them.

"No, my friend. My place is here, with Nefret." Ardeth looked down adoringly at his newfound love.

"I will miss you." Rick finally conceded his defeat, and embraced his long-time friend.

"Do not worry. I have a feeling we will meet again." Ardeth smiled suspiciously. Both men started laughing.

"Oh, goodbye Ardeth. I hope you and Nefret have a happy life together. Goodbye Nefret. Good luck." Evie embraced the two separately. "And you, Osiris. Thank you for all you have done." Evie stood up tall and hugged Osiris. "Goodbye Nefertiri, it has been quite an experience. Tell Seti thank you, too. I wish he could have seen us off at least. I know, I know- he had to get back to his job." Evie hugged her twin and smiled jokingly. Rick bent down and kissed Nefret on the cheek, then he shook hands with his twin, Osiris, and finally he bent down to Nefertiri and kissed her cheek as well.

"Thank you all." Rick smiled amiably, and backed up so that Gabrielle and Jonathan could say their goodbyes.

"Thank you, too, Olympus. Without that flame-thrower, I don't know what we would've done." Evie hugged Olympus briefly, and smiled when the embrace was over.

"Yes, thank you, Olympus, for my wife." Rick shook the man's hand and smiled with deep gratitude.

When Gabrielle had finished her good-byes, she went over to her brother, Senbi, who had traveled along with the caravan, "I'll miss you, you slimy little brother." She hugged her suddenly silent brother and went on to Olympus.

"Thank you, Olympus, for being my friend. I'll never forget you."

"And I'll never forget you." At that, Gabrielle smiled a rather sad smile, and kissed Olympus once on each cheek.

"Goodbye." Gabrielle smiled an almost sad smile as her hand lingered on Olympus's cheek.

"Goodbye, Senbi, old boy!" Jonathan shook Senbi's hand and went on to Olympus. He shook Olympus's hand and smiled happily.

"Uh, Senbi. Thanks for taking care of us, and, uh, sorry again about the whole beating you up thing." Rick couldn't quite look Senbi in the eye as he apologized.

"It was my pleasure." Senbi smiled at the man's uncomfortable apology. Rick put out his hand, and Senbi shook it.

"We should get going." Rick told the group quietly.

"Right. I'll miss you all, terribly." Evie sighed and walked through the tunnel with her husband and son. Alex had been sulking all morning at having to leave his best friend, Adom. Adom stood next to Nefertiri and waved a sluggish goodbye.

"Goodbye." Jonathan waved and turned to go into the tunnel. Gabrielle waved and did the same.

"Goodbye." The group left behind in Egypt smiled regretfully at the receding forms of their friends. They all thought, I'll sure miss them.

And on they went through the tunnel, hand in hand; on their way home, to England.

* * *

The End of the first Mummy Fanfic Chain! Keep an eye out for Mummy Fanfic Chain 2! 


End file.
